Picture by Glenn James/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
There was a time when the Celtics’ acquisition of Xavier Tillman seemed like one other stroke of genius from Brad Stevens. It shored up the massive man depth forward of the championship run, and at simply 25 years outdated, he appeared completely able to changing into a long-term high quality backup.
Tillman handled knee swelling throughout his first season in Boston and, regardless of a post-title surgical procedure that was supposed to deal with it, he continued to look on the damage report with numerous knee points. Because of this, his enjoying time was restricted and his position was nonexistent.
In 12 months One, Tillman appeared in 20 common season video games, enjoying a complete of 274 minutes. In 12 months Two, he logged simply 231 minutes throughout 33 video games. His quantity was hardly ever referred to as, and he was leapfrogged by Neemias Queta, regardless of being beforehand trusted in pivotal playoff moments.
With Boston’s distinctive roster turnover, the door is open once more for Tillman to earn a spot within the rotation. His place within the depth chart arguably hasn’t modified a lot, however the expertise forward of him is significantly weaker. That actuality offers him a clearer path than he’s had since arriving in Boston.
Tillman’s enchantment has all the time been on the defensive finish. At his greatest, he can credibly guard a number of positions. Holding his personal on switches and with the ability to deal with physicality made him a formidable Al Horford understudy. Traditionally, many superior metrics rated him extraordinarily properly on that finish too, together with Dunks & Threes’ defensive EPM, which positioned him within the 99th percentile in ‘23–‘24.
The inconsistencies of his Celtics tenure make it straightforward to neglect, however he’s not far faraway from beginning within the playoffs in opposition to the Lakers — a collection the place he matched up with Anthony Davis and didn’t blink.
Following the departures of Horford, Luke Kornet, and Kristaps Porzingis — together with Jayson Tatum’s damage — the Celtics might actually use an injection of protection into the frontcourt. Tillman has the flexibility to fill some gaps there. He’s not the towering rim protector kind like Kornet and Porzingis, however resembles Horford in some methods with clever workforce protection and switchability.
The numbers additionally say he’s been one of many league’s greatest defensive bigs at forcing turnovers. This possession is a pleasant snapshot of sturdy positioning and fast fingers resulting in a simple swipe:
The issue lies in the truth that within the trendy NBA, Tillman has an offensive talent set that isn’t valued notably extremely. He’s an undersized 5, and he’s neither a spacer on the perimeter nor an above-the-rim finisher. He’s flashed passing instincts, however and not using a perimeter shot or dynamic ball-handling, his offensive sport can really feel caught between roles.
His greatest probability to carve out a task is by proving that his leap shot is actual, and one thing defenses must respect. For his profession, he’s a 25% shooter from three on low quantity. If he can climb wherever close to league common, there’s a world the place ancillary attributes like energy and short-roll playmaking might get him to the purpose the place he’s including worth, or a minimum of creeping up from a unfavourable.
Offseason exercise movies are an unreliable supply of pleasure, however Tillman appears to be like to be in excellent form, and it’s clear that his three-point shot continues to be a significant level of emphasis.
Within the moments Tillman was referred to as on final 12 months, he was typically enjoying subsequent to a different massive. The outcomes have been usually underwhelming, however having a dependable jumper in his arsenal might make these lineups a a lot smoother match.
It’s wishful pondering to anticipate a mid-career evolution for any participant, however this looks like a crossroads 12 months for Tillman — and reinventing himself a bit may be one of the best ways to lengthen his NBA profession.
He’s younger sufficient to nonetheless carve out a distinct segment, however after two seasons on the perimeter of the rotation, he’ll must show his sturdiness and worth shortly. In any other case, the Celtics could look elsewhere for backup massive man minutes.
If the knees maintain up and the jumper comes round, he might lastly ship on the promise that made Stevens commerce for him. If not, his Celtics tenure — and maybe his place within the league — could come to a quiet finish.
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