Xavier Tillman is back.
The last time Tillman played at least eight minutes for the Boston Celtics was on November 4th in a Celtics blowout against the Atlanta Hawks. For reasons that remain unclear to me, Tillman has been riding the bench. It’s fair to say Tillman struggled in his minutes earlier in the season, but he has too big of a sample size of being an impactful NBA player for that to be the reason he has been stapled to the bench.
The most obvious answer is often the correct answer: Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have been prioritizing Neemias Queta’s development over the known commodities of Tillman and to some extent, Luke Kornet. I get it. The regular season is for experimentation, especially when you have an NBA title in your back pocket.
The Celtics know what they have with Kornet and Tillman. They are both dependable rotational big men. Queta is an unknown, and the Celtics seem determined to make him a known. I don’t disagree with that process. If the Celtics can develop Neemias Queta while racking up wins, it will be good for the long-term health of the roster.
However, Friday night was a welcome reminder that Xavier Tillman is still a good NBA player. I was starting to worry something more sinister behind Tillman’s benching. There were thoughts in the back of my mind that maybe Tillman joining Kristaps Porzingis for a G League scrimmage was actually cover for Tillman recovering from his own injury. Thankfully, I can put my tin foil hat away now.
Xavier Tillman only played 8 minutes and 37 seconds against the Wizards, but he had a significant impact and was Mazzulla’s choice to close the game as the lone big. Tillman struggled in switches earlier in the season, but he put that behind him with some fantastic possessions against the Wizards.
Anyone else having flashbacks to Game 3 of the NBA Finals?
While I can understand the decision to prioritize Queta’s development over Tillman, it’s nice to have a veteran big in the game who can be relied on to make the right decisions. The following clips illustrate the difference between Tillman and Queta.
In the first clip, Tillman flashes his help which dissuades Kyle Kuzma from driving all the way to the rim, forcing up a contested floater. Tillman shows that help while remaining in solid rebound position, boxes out Jonas Valanciunas, and collects the rebound.
In the second clip, Tillman plays solid defense and gets a good contest on the shot attempt from Bub Carrington. Queta comes over for the block, putting himself out of position, leading to the easy putback for Valanciunas. This is a consistent problem with Queta.
Tillman is a high-IQ player, especially in terms of defense. Queta still has a long way to go with his defensive decision-making.
It wasn’t an eye-popping game for Tillman, but it was great to see that he is still capable of helping the Boston Celtics win basketball games.
