Multiple Sixers give thoughts on Celtics' Jayson Tatum ahead of series

CAMDEN, N.J. -- As the Philadelphia 76ers got back to work on Friday to prepare for Game 1 of Round 1 on Sunday against the Boston Celtics, they will look to do the little things on the floor to prepare for what's to come against the No. 2 seed in the East.

One factor that the Sixers will have to prepare for that they didn't see in the regular season is the return of Jayson Tatum. Returning ahead of schedule from an Achilles injury suffered in the 2025 playoffs, Tatum played in 16 regular season games and averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 41.1% from the floor and 32.9% from deep. The efficiency wasn't great, but his scoring numbers were up and he did a little bit of everything on the floor.

"He looks good," said Dominick Barlow. "He’s making shots. I mean, obviously, coming back from that injury is not easy. So, credit to him for getting back and being on his recovery. I don't know if anybody's ever coming back this fast from an Achilles injury."

The defensive challenge of guarding Tatum--and at times Jaylen Brown, too--will fall upon Paul George. The long and rangy forward has had his experiences playing against Tatum in the past, and it doesn't matter if he's coming off an injury or not. He is still one of the premier players in this league.

"Tatum is Tatum, man," said George. "Tatum is Tatum. That's the good thing about the great ones. Regardless if they're limited or if they're not all the way themselves, they just adapt to the game, and I'm sure he'll be the one to tell you that he's learned and picked up some things that he wasn't doing before the injury that now has helped him be a better player at this point in his career."

A student of the game, Tatum has undoubtedly watched a lot of film and learned something new while being sidelined for so long in the 2025-26 season. Him picking up something new is going to be a key piece to Boston's success and is in the back of George's mind.

"It could be good or it could be bad, that he's not probably all the way back to where he was, because he's evolved," George added. "So he's still producing. He's still a big time player. He's still can book 20 points in the book for him on the night. So, I'm expecting that same battle that he's always presented."

With that being said, while the Sixers will, obviously, have to pay a lot of attention to Tatum and everything he brings to the table, they have to focus on themselves to be sure they are ready to go and prepared for this series.

"I'm worried about how the Philadelphia 76ers look rather than trying to stop Jayson Tatum," Barlow added. "So, moving well, moving not well. It doesn't really matter."

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Multiple Sixers give thoughts on Celtics' Jayson Tatum ahead of series