Camp is moving forward. Tatum isn't.

Three days ago I noted that George and Tatum hadn't shared a practice floor yet. That's still the situation. Tatum remains day-to-day, the same status he's carried since mid-July, and at this point the timeline has stretched long enough that it's become its own kind of story — not just an injury update but a genuine structural problem for a team that needs reps together more than almost any other in the league.

George has handled the waiting about as well as anyone could. He came in last week acknowledging the fan frustration, said the backlash was fair, said he has a chip on his shoulder. Good. But there's only so much a new co-star can do when his co-star isn't on the floor. The partnership that was supposed to replace Jaylen Brown — who averaged 27.9 points a game before the trade — hasn't had a single meaningful practice session to build on. George can talk about playing off another superstar wing all he wants. Eventually he actually has to do it.

The rest of the roster is getting work in. The complementary pieces are there. What's missing is the center of the whole thing.