Rotational Big Man Is Staying in Boston

The Boston Celtics have re-signed Xavier Tillman on a two-year deal. While the amount of money Tillman will be paid over the next two seasons is still being finalized, Boston fans can rest in the fact that they have brought back another member from their 2024 NBA Championship team that just won the 2024 NBA Finals less than three weeks ago. Tillman started this past season with the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Boston Celtics in February of 2024. He appeared in a combined 54 games for Memphis and Boston last year. After the trade, he averaged four points, 2.7 rebounds, and one assist per game in 20 games for Boston. He played 13.7 minutes per game while producing shooting splits of 51.5 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from the perimeter, and 57.1 percent at the charity stripe. Tillman has a team option for the summer.

Tillman went from a team fighting to get out of the bottom of the West to the one seed in the East that won 64 games. The Celtics rolled past the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers en route to the NBA Finals. While he was still with Memphis, he had a three-game stretch scoring double digits, including a season-high 20 points in a 128-119 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Tillman also had nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. In the playoffs, Tillman was out of the Celtics rotation and averaged 3.2 points, one rebound, and 1.4 assists while shooting 28 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep. He played around ten minutes per game in the postseason.

Tillman was a former second-round pick by the Grizzlies. Tillman has been to the playoffs four straight times. Returning to Boston Tillman brings playoff experience. He’s a rotational big man that can play sparingly. Tillman can stretch the floor and hit an open 3-pointer. Having been a reserved player, Tillman will look for a bigger role that will get him more playing time and consistently be in the rotation much more often.