What To Know About Celtics’ Pre-Deadline Pickup Xavier Tillman

The Boston Celtics added frontcourt depth to their roster when they acquired Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline.

Tillman is not the type of splashy move Celtics fans may have been hoping for, but he is a low-cost player who could prove to be the perfect addition to the team to help their pursuit of a championship.

He’s appeared in 34 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds while averaging 20.6 minutes of playing time this season.

Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but the Celtics need defense-minded frontcourt depth behind Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, especially since Porzingis has missed time due to injuries and Horford is not playing both games in back-to-back situations.

With 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, as a role player off the bench, his numbers are better than Horford and Kornet.

The Michigan State product ranks fifth among 146 players defending 10-plus in field goal percentage differential holding opponents 6% below expected field goal attempts per game, per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg.

His versatility will deepen the rotation for potential matchups in the postseason against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers.

Tillman averaged 8.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the playoffs last season for the Grizzlies while averaging 30.6 minutes of playing time.

The 25-year-old forward is on a $1.9 million expiring contract, and the Celtics will hold his Bird rights at that time, allowing the team to re-sign him without requiring cap space.

And if that’s not enough to get Celtics fans on board, his recent trash-talking run-in with Kyrie Irving might just do the trick.