BOSTON — Xavier Tillman Sr. is finally pain-free.
He dealt with left knee swelling last season after his trade from Memphis that ailed him after nearly every game. The injury stemmed from back to college, and made the acclimation from his only NBA team to that point more difficult, alongside learning the Celtics’ system at both ends and suffering personal tragedy when his father Roosevelt died in May. He spent the summer taking a step back mentally while he healed physically.
“Knee’s feeling good,” Tillman Sr. told CLNS Media/CelticsBlog on Monday. “Really good, actually. I haven’t had any additional swelling or any additional pain since the games have started. Your body still gotta always get used to the ramp-up of intensity of the games, the travel and flights and all that stuff, but I’m doing good.”
Tillman Sr. didn’t return to the floor until August, when he began focusing on reps rather than altering his shooting form. He had improved from 22.6% from three with the Grizzlies last year to 28.6% in Boston before hitting his famous Finals three in his only playoff attempt. That progression continued into this preseason, where he shot 6-for-11 from three.
Even last year, he shrugged off the stats given his low three-point attempt totals and focused on figuring out where he fits offensively. The Celtics often played him at the four, which continued early this preseason and required that he and his fellow center on the floor find ways to space it. Shooting was part of it, something his earliest NBA development coach David McClure believed in his ability to do, but it also involves effective screening, passing and adapting to the Celtics’ emphasis on offensive rebounding.
“They tried to space me a little bit my last year (in Memphis),” Tillman Sr. said. “But the confidence I feel like they had in my shooting was on-and-off. On a good day, they’d be like, ‘yeah, space.’ On a bad day, they’d be like, ‘stay in the dunker,’ versus here, they’ll be like, ‘just stay in the corner, regardless of a make or miss.’ It’s a little different, because I’m always crashing from the corners or the wings, but I like it, because it gives me an opportunity to see where the ball is going. If it looks like it’s short or long, being able to track it.”
Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
Joe Mazzulla looked down at the stat sheet following Boston’s win at Washington and stressed that Tillman Sr. should’ve had more offensive rebounds. He’s averaging 2.2 per 36 minutes, slightly below his rate from the past three seasons, while his struggles around the rim show in a 33.3% FG. Tillman Sr. looks more comfortable setting off-ball screens, though, and has maintained 2.2 assists per 36 through hand-offs and kicking out from inside.
Any offensive production allows for his special defensive skills to stay on the floor. He knocked Giannis Antetokounmpo off the ball, sending the ball back toward half court similarly to how he blew up a Tobias Harris possession two days prior. With Sam Hauser out, he’s effectively become the team’s depth wing, leading to unique roles on the defensive end that take some getting used to as well.
Given Kristaps Porziņģis’ absence and Oshae Brissett’s departure with both Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh appearing too early in their development to play consistent roles, retaining Tillman Sr. looks more important than it originally did. And he knows he can only get better with health and repetitions.
“As bigs, we like to play help defense a lot at the rim,” Tillman Sr. said. “So you see me and Neemy out there, you’ll see situations where me and him both help on the ball, and I was guarding the shooter like Corey Kispert or something like that and I was supposed to stay home, and (Queta) was gonna help. I think that’s the biggest adjustment. Realizing, ‘hey, you’re not the only big out here.’”
