5 things to know about new Celtics big man Xavier Tillman
Tillman's underlying defensive numbers should provide a lift for the Celtics.
Brad Stevens and the Celtics have made their first move.
With just over 25 hours remaining until the NBA trade deadline, the Celtics acquired forward Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics are sending a 2027 second-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick to Memphis as part of the deal.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports added that Boston is also sending Lamar Stevens to the Grizzlies in order to both maintain its $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception and keep an open roster spot ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
Tillman has appeared in 34 games with Memphis this season, averaging 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per contest. The 25-year-old big man is earning $1.9 million in the final year of his contract.
Here are five things to know about Boston’s latest trade pickup:
Tillman will serve as much-needed frontcourt depth
It should come as little surprise that Stevens and the Celtics targeted a versatile frontcourt defender like Tillman.
While Boston boasts plenty of talent up front with players like Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, the Celtics were in need of more insurance at that spot on the depth chart before the playoffs commence.
Even though Porzingis is in the midst of a strong debut season with Boston (19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks), the 7-foot-2 big man has a lengthy injury history. Porzingis has missed 25 games or more in four of the seven full NBA seasons he has played in — and has missed 14 games so far this year with Boston.
Horford still has value as a versatile, veteran defender. But at 37 years old, the Celtics can’t continue to tax Horford with heavy minutes down the stretch. With Tillman added to the equation, Boston now has a steady option to turn to in a frontcourt grouping that also includes Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta.
Tillman had a strong career at Michigan State
Tillman, who hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, didn’t have to travel very far in order to continue his collegiate career.
While Tillman’s mother, Tanya Powell-May, played at the University of Michigan and left the program as the Wolverines’ all-time rebounding leader, Tillman opted to commit to Michigan State — playing with the Spartans from 2017-20.
After earning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2019, Tillman took a major step forward in 2020. Along with receiving Second Team All Big Ten honors, Tillman was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 after averaging 13.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo credited Tillman’s strides in college to his young daughter, Ayanna, who was born in 2016. Tillman lived with his then-fiancée, Tamia Todd, and their daughter in a family housing apartment while he played for the Spartans.
“His daughter changed everything,” Izzo told Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press. “He is working for her now. He wants to provide for her, to give her a good life.”
Tillman was ultimately drafted in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Kings — who then dealt him to Memphis on draft night.
Despite Tillman’s 6-foot-7 frame, one Western Conference scout praised his potential defensive versatility at the NBA level — comparing him to former Celtics forward/center Aron Baynes.
“There are a lot of teams that are looking for guys like that who bring toughness,” the scout told MLive.com. “I just think that’s a lost art these days when you have so many finesse big guys who are soft and don’t play hard.”
His underlying defensive numbers are elite
That scout’s projection of Tillman as a defensive asset at the next level holds plenty of validity, especially after looking under the hood at some of the 25-year-old forward’s underlying numbers.
As noted by Jay King of The Athletic, Estimated Plus Minus has Tillman ranked in the 99th percentile among all NBA defenders this season — with Tillman standing as one of just 14 players in the league averaging at least one block and one steal per game. It’s an impressive feat for Tillman, considering that he’s only averaging 20.6 minutes per game.
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg offered up more promising stats regarding Tillman’s defensive impact — noting that opponents are shooting 12.9 percent below expected inside six feet when defended by Tillman.
He may not be a featured cog in Boston’s talented lineup, but Tillman will likely be called upon in the postseason to slow down some top talent across the Eastern Conference — especially down low.
He had a breakout performance in the postseason last year
Tillman spent the first three full seasons of his career with Memphis, primarily serving in a bench role.
But Tillman stepped up down the stretch for the Grizzlies as their starting center last season after Steven Adams went down due to a PCL injury.
During Memphis’ first-round playoff matchup against the Lakers, Tillman logged 30.5 minutes per game over the six-game series — averaging 8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 0.7 blocks in a featured role. He led the Grizzlies in both scoring (22 points) and rebounds (13) during the team’s 103-93 win over Los Angeles in Game 2 at FedEx Forum.
Ultimately, the Grizzlies were bounced by LeBron James and the Lakers — with Memphis now trudging through a lost season in 2023-24 due to a myriad of injuries.
Tillman isn’t an offensive conduit
Tillman’s defensive capabilities and ability to guard several positions should come in handy for Boston during the postseason.
But Celtics fans expecting Tillman to provide an offensive spark off the bench might need to rein in those expectations.
After shooting 61.4 percent from the field last season, Tillman posted just a 40.8 field-goal percentage this year in Memphis — while only connecting on 22.6 percent of his shots from 3-point range.
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