When Brad Stevens brought actor Xavier Tillman at the NBA trade deadline, he remodeled the Celtics bench with defense in mind.
Since joining Boston, Tillman has played in six games, averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes. With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined with a right hamstring strain, Tillman has seen his minutes increase over the last two games to over 20.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said the goal is to give Tillman the opportunity to acclimatize on his new team, as well as in Boston’s system, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
“You just have to be patient, wait until he understands the language, until he understands the dynamics of it,” Mazzulla said, according to Himmelsbach. “Obviously the staff did a great job getting on the field with him, explaining all the rules and all the areas. And he just needs to hear it during the first shoots and filming sessions and clearly understand what the expectations are.
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Porzingis has missed the last four games, forcing Mazzulla to shuffle in the front court. Mazzulla told Himmelsbach that the team liked Tillman’s versatility and ability to play alongside Luke Kornet and Al Horford.
“Xavier is super easy to play with,” Horford said, according to Himmelsbach. “On the field, he makes the right read, makes the right play. He can defend very well, moves his feet very well, which makes the game easy for me. He takes a lot of pressure off me when I’m with him. He just knows how to play, so I’m really excited to be able to play with him and develop that chemistry.
Tillman will likely get more playing time with Horford and Kornet even when Porzingis returns to the lineup to help keep the bigs rested down the stretch as Boston prepares for the playoffs.
