It isn’t Xavier Tillman Sr.’s fault that he bought misplaced within the shadow of the Boston Celtics’ shiny, star-studded beginning 5 final season.
Unsurprisingly, Tillman performed a lesser position as soon as he joined the Celtics on the commerce deadline than he did with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 4 factors and a couple of.7 rebounds whereas getting 13.7 minutes per sport out of 20 common season video games. He performed largely rubbish throughout Boston’s run to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, however shined in Sport 3 of the NBA Finals, serving to fill in for the injured Kristaps Porzingis.
However Tillman has proven sufficient in his appearances to earn the belief of Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, and this might be an opportunity for Tillman to place extra of his stamp on this season as a substitute of being relegated deep to the Boston bench.
“I believed it was a fantastic transition (after the commerce),” Mazzulla advised reporters earlier than the Celtics left for Abu Dhabi for 2 preseason video games in opposition to the Denver Nuggets, in line with Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. “I believed he was actually sensible and he picked up on issues instantly. So it is actually nice that we now have him early within the 12 months as a result of I feel it helps our versatility. However the transition has It has been nice and it has been a clean course of. I really feel like he is been right here a very long time and he is good at asking questions, however he will be an integral a part of what we’re doing.
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Tillman had the chance to hunt an even bigger position elsewhere as a free agent this offseason. He opted to stick with the Celtics on a modest two-year, $4.8 million contract.
Maybe the 25-year-old noticed what Mazzulla envisioned with the potential of enjoying extra time with Boston this season. If the Celtics have a weak spot, it is their depth at middle, particularly with Porzingis getting back from a “uncommon” ankle damage – he is anticipated to return in December – and the Celtics try to not put in an excessive amount of. a giant workload for Al Horford, 38 years outdated.
This can create a chance for Tillman, who’s finest identified for his defensive versatility, alongside fellow backups Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. And the Celtics certainly would not be shocked if Tillman seizes the chance in entrance of him.
“On the court docket, (Tillman is) a man who can defend nicely. He can defend on the perimeter. He has good instincts,” Horford advised reporters, in line with Cox. “Off the sector, he matches in completely with our group. He is very easy-going. It is simply good to have him round. Actually, it looks as if an ideal match, him being right here, “He is with us. He is on the correct issues. He is making an attempt to play to win when you’ve gotten guys like that, it is very simple to return right here and play.”
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