Celtics Role Player Expected To Play ‘Integral’ Part This Season

It’s no fault of Xavier Tillman Sr. that he got lost in the shadow of the bright, star-studded starting five of the Boston Celtics last season.

Tillman unsurprisingly played a lesser role once he joined the Celtics at the trade deadline than he did with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging four points and 2.7 rebounds while getting 13.7 minutes per game across 20 regular-season contests. He played mostly garbage time in Boston’s run to the Larry O’Brien Trophy but did flash in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, helping fill in for the injured Kristaps Porzingis.

But Tillman showed enough during his appearances to gain the trust of Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, and with that could come a chance for Tillman to put his stamp more on this season instead of being relegated deep into Boston’s bench.

“I thought it was a great transition (after the trade),” Mazzulla told reporters before the Celtics left for Abu Dhabi for two preseason games against the Denver Nuggets, per the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox. “I thought he’s really smart, and he picked up on stuff right away. And so it’s really great that we have him at the beginning of the year because I think it helps our versatility. But the transition was great, and it’s seamless. It feels like now he’s been here for a long time, and he’s great at asking questions, but he’ll be integral to what we do.”

Tillman had the opportunity to seek a bigger role elsewhere as a free agent this offseason. He chose to stay with the Celtics on a modest two-year, $4.8 million deal.

Perhaps the 25-year-old saw what Mazzulla envisioned with the possibility of more playing time with Boston this season. If the Celtics have any sort of weak spot, it is their depth at center, especially with Porzingis working his way back from a “rare” ankle injury — he’s expected to return sometime in December — and the Celtics trying to not put too much of a workload on 38-year-old Al Horford.

That will create an opportunity for Tillman, who is most known for his defensive versatility, along with fellow backup bigs Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. And the Celtics surely wouldn’t be surprised if Tillman seizes the chance in front of him.

“On the court, (Tillman is) a guy that’s able to defend pretty well. Can defend out in the perimeter. That has good instincts,” Horford told reporters, per Cox. “Off the court, he’s blended right in with our group. He’s super easygoing. It’s just nice to have him around. It’s been like a perfect fit, honestly, him being here, him being with us. He’s about the right things. He’s trying to play to win. When you have guys like that, it’s very easy to come out here and play.”