Boston Celtics
“Jaylen is the security blanket that is now gone on the Jayson Tatum superstar bed.”
Bill Simmons didn’t like what he saw from Jayson Tatum in Tuesday’s season opener. Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
October 21, 2026 | 7:27 PM
3 minutes to read
Bill Simmons — like many others who watched some of the Celtics’ season opener — was disheartened by what he saw from Joe Mazzulla’s squad in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon.
The Celtics — who at one point held a 22-point lead over the Pistons at 8:32 in the third quarter — were outscored 71-41 for the remainder of the contest, with Detroit reeling off a 23-0 run in the fourth quarter en route to an eventual 121-113 loss for Boston.
Despite a 38-point performance from Paul George, Simmons acknowledged on his podcast that the optics of Boston’s second-half collapse didn’t paint a flattering picture — especially on a day where Jayson Tatum labored and Jaylen Brown helped the Sixers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
“I can’t say I was shocked, but I was definitely bummed — because it was one of those things where it just would have been the perfect way to start the season,” Simmons said on his podcast. “They trade Jaylen Brown. Paul George looked awesome, and Paul George was actually awesome the whole game. … It was kind of an alarming Jayson Tatum game.
“And this is why you can’t overreact after game one. But Jayson Tatum was terrible. I actually liked a lot of the shots he took. They just weren’t going in. And then I thought in the fourth quarter he kind of panicked … He started really pressing and did some weird stuff. He only went to the free-throw line once. He was 6-for-23 [from the field].”
There’s a valid case to be made that the Celtics — even after dealing Brown to the Sixers in July — could be a stronger team this year, especially when it comes to depth, the development of young wings, and a defense that could be a thorn in the side of opponents when it comes to forcing turnovers.
But that optimism was hard to draw from Tuesday’s showing, given Boston’s poor transition defense, the lack of contributions from youngsters like Hugo Gonzalez (0 points, minus-15 in 10 minutes), and a poor showing from Tatum (13 points in 38 minutes).
Even if the Celtics could eventually hit its stride in the post-Brown era, Simmons acknowledged that there might be some growing pains for a Celtics team that can no longer bank on at least some level of consistent offensive production from two superstar players, night in and night out.
“You trade Jaylen Brown, which I’m sure — I don’t think [Tatum] told the team to trade him, but I don’t think he was shedding tears afterward,” Simmons said. “And you can see from everybody’s reaction since that trade, it seemed like it had kind of come to an end for him and Jaylen. But this is a different level of pressure now for [Tatum], because there’s not a proven next guy on this team that can show up in a game, in Detroit, for 25 to 30 points.
“This was Jaylen last year. Jaylen loved playing Detroit. Jaylen was guarding Cade [Cunningham] and was doing all these things and brought a physicality and a confidence, which when that’s gone — now you’re leaning on Paul George, who again looked like 2019 Paul George. I’m not sure how long it’s gonna last. And then guys that, you know, are fingers-crossed guys.
“I love Payton Pritchard. Some nights he doesn’t have it. I don’t know what nights he’s going to have it. Derrick White, great player. Everybody would love to have him. I don’t know if he’s going to have it, quarter to quarter. All the centers, the lob threats, the offensive rebounds, that stuff can come and go. The three-point shooting? You never know. And none of this works if Tatum’s going to play like he did [Tuesday], and I don’t think he will. He’s not going to go 6-for-23 all season.”
Even though Simmons expects Tatum to shoot better moving forward, he raised concerns about Tatum’s natural burst and athleticism against Detroit — which might have limited his ability to get to the rim and score when his shot wasn’t falling.
He also took umbrage with Joe Mazzulla’s multiple rotations and lineups, saying he “coached the game [Tuesday] like it was a hockey game.”
The 2026-27 Celtics still have plenty to sort out after a transformative offseason.
But even if Simmons isn’t exactly going to DEFCON 1 after one poor game, he acknowledged that many Celtics skeptics had plenty to celebrate after such an ugly second-half collapse.
“I didn’t need to go online after this game to know what the online discourse was like,” Simmons noted. “I could look at my texts, all my friends who don’t like the Celtics — who were teasing me after about Tatum. … But yeah, this is — Jaylen is the security blanket that is now gone on the Jayson Tatum superstar bed. And he’s gonna have to figure out he can’t have nights like he did [Tuesday].”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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