BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics vs. 76ers preseason 8:00 p.m. - Jaylen Brown is back at TD Garden

BOSTON CELTICS vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Game time: 8f:00 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Preview: Just two preseason games into the Boston Celtics' slate, and Jaylen Brown is already back at TD Garden. He and the Philadelphia 76ers are in town for a preseason contest.

Boston beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first preseason game, and Philadelphia has already played two. The Sixers beat the New York Knicks, then lost to the Brooklyn Nets.

Brown has appeared in both preseason games, so he may sit out in Boston to save his return game for the regular season. The status of Philadelphia's other regulars remains in question, too.

Tale of the tape: This will be one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. Boston versus Philadelphia was already a rivalry, and now, there's a whole other level to the madness.

Brown versus Jayson Tatum. LeBron James versus the Celtics. A rematch of last year's playoff disappointment. It's a matchup that has everything a fan could ask for. But that hype will have to wait for the regular season.

There's no guarantee both teams play their stars on Saturday night. Payton Pritchard confirmed that he will be playing during shootaround on Saturday morning, but outside of that, nothing is certain.

That said, most of Boston's regulars did not play in Cleveland on Thursday, so there's a good chance they will be active for the Celtics' preseason home opener. Perhaps Boston was saving some debuts for the home fans.

Shootaround sound: In the Celtics' 124-113 win over the Cavaliers, Baylor Scheierman looked impressive. His ball-handling was noteworthy, and he may earn more on-ball opportunities this season.

At shootaround, however, he said that wasn't an emphasis heading into the season. But rather, his on-ball duties were more of a natural progression throughout training camp.

"I don't know if it's been a big emphasis. I think it kind of has just happened organically while we've been playing," Scheierman said. "I think that's probably just the best way to describe it. It really hasn't been a big point of emphasis. It's just kind of happened. And I think just trust with teammates evolves with that."

As the Celtics have been playing, the ball has naturally found Scheierman's hands. He was a shot creator in college -- both at South Dakota State and Creighton -- and it seems like Boston may trust him in that role more often this season.

"I mean, yeah, I mean, it's just in the flow of a game, the ball just finds me in transition or something like that, and [I'm] just able to kind of make plays," Scheierman said. "It's not like I'm standing here when the ball's out of bounds, asking to bring it up."

The Celtics have been in the gym all summer. Their work didn't just start when training camp did. Pritchard says that Scheierman's improvements are simply a of his offseason work.

"He's just taking a step in his development," Pritchard said. "As he should. Keep making a step every year, get a little bit better and better every year, and grow your role. As it should go for everybody. So, I feel like he's done a good job this summer of keep working on his craft and keep getting a little bit better and better."

One fun play: Let's focus on the offensive rebounding. Boston was one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the league last year. They ranked fifth in OREB% at 33.6%.

And just one preseason game in, it's clear that they don't plan on letting up on the glass. Just look at this one possession (Milos Uzan nailed a three right after the clip ends).

Dillon Mitchell comes bounding in for a rebound after a Devin Carter miss. Then, after a 3-point attempt from Uzan, Carter's the one who leaps into the air for the board.

Two rebound opportunities up for grabs, and Boston came down with both of them. It was a relentless effort on the glass by the Celtics -- something that looks to be at the core of the team's principles once again this season.