Celtics’ Jayson Tatum on Going From Watching Paul George to Playing Alongside Him: 'It’s Kind of Surreal’ originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jayson Tatum officially leads the Celtics as its ace after the trade of Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. No longer teammates with Brown, Tatum now shares the court with someone he admired before he played in Paul George.
George, along with draft picks, got traded to the Celtics for Brown. The tenth pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, George has played for the Pacers, Thunder, Clippers, and 76ers. The Nine-time All-Star aims to win his first NBA Championship.
Tatum, who won a title with the Celtics during the 2023–24 season, watched George in his prime while he was in high school. Playing with him in the preseason, his younger self would have never believed it.
"It’s kind of surreal, a little bit," Tatum said about playing with George via CLNS Media. "I was in high school, kind of modeling my game after him and watching film of him... In college... I remember I had to be the first player in college to wear PG-1s... That was 2016 or early 2017. So, like, I’ve always been a fan of PG."
Tatum is coming off a 2025-26 season where he returned after rupturing his Achilles tendon the season before. He returned and helped the team reach the playoffs, where they got eliminated in the first round.
Now healthy, Tatum is ready to make an impact for a full season. In their first preseason game together, against the 76ers, George scored 13 points in 25 minutes. Tatum scored 23 points in 27 minutes. Regardless of where both are in their careers, Tatum is ready to bring the Celtics to the top with George.
"Just to be able to be his teammate and learn from him, him to take on the role of being a mentor of assistance to myself and other guys, who have obviously watched him play for a long time, it’s cool to be a part of," Tatum said.