NEW YORK — Xavier Tillman has only been officially active with the Celtics for two games, so it’s going to take some time for the big man to acclimate to his new team. The C’s have been fully healthy in the two games since the All-Star break, so there also haven’t been many minutes available thus far.
Tillman did get to make his C’s debut in Thursday’s blowout win over the Bulls, scoring a bucket. But otherwise, the big man will soak in as much as he can behind the scenes. Veteran big man Al Horford revealed after the Knicks victory that Tillman is already doing all the right things.
“It’s been good to have X around,” Horford said. “I’m sure he’s going to be getting his opportunities here sooner than later. But just somebody that you can tell he’s very eager to learn. Right away, he’s been picking my brain a lot, asking a lot of questions and really trying to figure things out off the court, on the court. And when you have that kind of mindset, I feel like it’s going to be beneficial.
BetMGM BET $5, GET $158! BONUS BETS
STATES: MA, KY, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org.
“Because he’s the kind of guy that wants to get better, he wants to have an impact, and he has that ability to have an impact on our group.”
The Celtics brought in Tillman as another big man option alongside Luke Kornet. Tillman brings in a different game — especially on the defensive end — giving the C’s another option in the playoffs if they call his number. But the Celtics employ a sophisticated defensive scheme for big men, so it’s going to take some time to learn all the nuances. That’s where a guy like Horford comes in as Tillman gets used to his surroundings.
As Horford said, Tillman will likely have a chance to help the C’s over the next few months. That was the tricky part for the Boston front office to navigate during the trade deadline. Brad Stevens looked to bring in a contributor but not necessarily someone who will become a rotation mainstay. So Tillman ended up being a nice middle ground as a potential contributor but didn’t rock the boat too much immediately.
Regardless, it’ll be intriguing to watch Tillman incorporate himself with his new team. Starting with Horford is the natural move as the veteran has wisdom to share.
“It’s very interesting,” Tillman said of joining a new team. “You come in there and you don’t want to shake the tree, you want to figure out how you can help the team do what they’ve been doing as far as winning and stuff like that. For me, when I got here, my goal was just to mainly watch for a little while, just to see how everybody interacts, what’s the vibe and see where I can make my impact. I’m still learning, too.”
- Highly anticipated sportsbooks like BetMGM Massachusetts, along with Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts have been live since Spring of 2023. New players can use promo codes like the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo.
