BOSTON — Jaylen Brown was back at TD Garden, but he didn’t suit up. In fact, Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid were all out for the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

It was the Boston Celtics’ second preseason game after they took down the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Everyone but Devin Carter and Ron Harper Jr. was active. And Boston’s stars came to play.

Jayson Tatum looked like the best version of himself. He was scoring the ball at will. And though Paul George’s shots didn’t fall, his defense was as advertised: Elite.

VJ Edgecombe did his best to carry the scoring load, but Tyrese Maxey struggled. Philadelphia didn’t have the scoring punch to keep up with Boston. The Celtics walked away with a monstrous FINALSCORE victory.

The last time these two teams played at TD Garden, the Sixers ended the Celtics’ season. It was only preseason, but this time around, Boston got some early revenge. (But the Celtics will want to repeat this success in the regular season.)

When Tatum returned from his injury last year, it felt like a part of him was still missing. And maybe it was. Maybe his body was fully ready to be back, but his mind was lagging behind.

Tatum looked good. He was still playing like an All-Star. But it felt like every time he had the chance to drive to the rim, he wasn’t doing it with full confidence. It looked like a part of him still feared a potential re-injury whenever he took the ball to the basket.

Within the first five minutes of action on Saturday night, that version of Tatum had completely disappeared. He looked like himself again.

If there was a driving lane, Tatum was taking it. And he wasn’t looking back or slowing down. The four-time All-NBA First Team version of Tatum was out in full force.

Not only that, but the threes were falling, too. His jumper looked smooth and confident. Unsure about that one-legged floater 3-point attempt, though…

Tatum ended the game with 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He shot 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from deep range.

The offensive rebounding showed up. Mitchell Robinson was a monster on the boards, just like he always was with the New York Knicks. But it looks like he may need a few games to get up to speed.

Robinson didn’t move with the same energy as Neemias Queta or even Luka Garza. At times, he felt a step slow. Not fully in tempo with Boston’s game plan on either side of the ball.

One preseason game is nowhere near enough to make a real judgment. Just like it’s not enough to declare Tatum the King of the NBA. But still, it’s something to take note of. Robinson put up six points and grabbed five rebounds.

This defense is going to be elite. Obviously, the 76ers were missing a ton of players. A ton of players. Let’s see how Boston stacks up against the likes of Brown and James before making any crazy statements.

That said, it’s clear Boston is going to lean into the defensive playmaking this year. George led the way on Saturday night. If he was on the floor, a 76ers turnover was looming.

In the second quarter, the combination of Sam Hauser and George wreaked havoc on Philadelphia’s lineups. They were sprinting around on defense, forcing the Sixers to scramble, and that led to turnovers.

Boston is going to force a lot of turnovers this year. George, Robinson, and Boston’s young wing group are going to be tough for opposing offenses to deal with. George ended the night with five steals, and Baylor Scheierman nabbed five of his own.

Down: Derrick White’s shot

Much like the Robinson tidbit, one game is not nearly enough to make a real conclusion. But after a summer of waiting to see if Derrick White’s shot would be back to normal, the early returns weren’t ideal.

A lot of White’s 3-point attempts looked way off. He did a good job driving to the hoop, connecting on some interior shots, but the jumper didn’t look quite right.

Again, there’s a lot of season left. The entire season, in fact. But it would have been encouraging to see him drill a couple early on.

In a battle of the bigs, Queta came out on top on Saturday. He was more energetic, more in tune with Boston’s defensive rotations, and he rolled well on offense.

Queta earned a big-time payday this summer. The Celtics handed him a four-year contract extension. Games like this one are why.

The rebounding was elite. Queta never stopped moving. If there was a place to cut, he cut. A place to screen? He screened. A rebounding chance? He went for it. Overall, just a great debut for Queta.

There are only so many minutes to go around. Jordan Walsh looked solid in his first stint (starting), but he didn’t play again until the second half. He played even better then. Walsh put up six points and five rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting from distance.

Scheierman brought a bit of everything. Elite rebounding, a splash of ball-handling, and some great defensive playmaking, too. He was all over the place in the best possible way, ending with three points, two rebounds, eight assists, and five steals on 1-of-2 shooting from 3-point land.

Even Hugo Gonzalez got in on the action. He was probably the least impressive of the bunch, but his shots went down. Even Harper deserves a shout once he’s healthy. Joe Mazzulla has some tough choices ahead of him. Gonzalez had 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from deep. He grabbed six boards and dished out two assists.

He didn’t play much until the end of the night, but Luka Garza was an offensive rebounding machine once again. Whenever he’s under the hoop, he has magnets for hands.

Hauser remains one of the most underrated players in the league. He played awesome defense, and the threes were falling, too. He’ll have to fight off the young wing group for minutes, but he’s still one of the best shooters in the league. Hauser had 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from distance. He also grabbed two steals.

Lastly, Payton Pritchard picked up where he left off. When the ball is in his hands, it’s probably going to end up in the basket. He ended the game with 25 points, four rebounds, and seven assists on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Also, they were brief, but there were some nice flashes from Dillon Mitchell and Chris Cenac once again on Saturday. Late-fourth-quarter minutes only, but the rookies keep impressing.