Before he was traded to the Celtics this week, Xavier Tillman already had a good suggestion of what it should take to thrive in his new residence. A former member of the Grizzlies, he was on the town on Sunday when the Celtics honored Marcus Smart, who acquired overwhelming love from the followers. Smart had described to Tillman how he earned that feeling.
“The main thing he told me (is) it’s very similar to Memphis in terms of the grit and the grind and how hard you have to work for the fans and appreciation and stuff like that,” Tillman mentioned. “And once you do show that you’re willing to hustle, they’re gonna love you. I love it.”
Tillman, who was traded to the Celtics on Wednesday, participated in his shootaround with the staff previous to Friday’s sport in opposition to the Wizards. He didn’t go well with up, nonetheless recovering from the left knee soreness that compelled him to overlook his last 4 video games with the Grizzlies, so he’ll have to attend to earn that love from his new fanbase. But he’s definitely excited to be with the Celtics of their pursuit of a championship.
“It’s crazy, to be honest with you,” Tillman mentioned. “I’ve always watched the Celtics in terms of just the winning history of it, back with (Kevin Garnett) and all that stuff and seeing these guys repeatedly go to the Eastern Conference Finals all the time, I’m always locked in on that. So for me to get the opportunity to be part of a winning organization, it’s pretty awesome.”
It’s unclear when Tillman will make his Celtics debut. He mentioned he nonetheless wants a while to get well.
“I don’t have a timeline,” Tillman mentioned. “We’re actually just getting here and meeting with the trainers and stuff like that. So we’ll go through it pretty soon here.”
When he’s at full well being, Tillman is predicted to function priceless depth within the Celtics’ frontcourt behind Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Brad Stevens mentioned the addition of Tillman ought to give them extra flexibility and choices with their lineups, and his presence ought to assist give Porzingis and Horford some relaxation because the C’s intention to protect these two for a protracted playoff run.
Tillman will probably be an asset for the Celtics defensively, able to guarding a number of positions and giving them some added rim safety. There will probably be an adjustment interval as he learns the Celtics’ language and schemes, however he doesn’t suppose it will likely be overly difficult.
“Coming out of the film session, that’s something that I was learning and stuff like that, the nuances of how they like to operate and stuff like that,” Tillman mentioned. “It’ll take a little bit but I don’t think it’ll be too long or too hard for me to get adjusted to it for sure.”
Springer joins fold
Jaden Springer, who was acquired by the Celtics at Thursday’s commerce deadline, additionally joined his new staff on Friday however was unable to make his debut as a result of a proper ankle impingement.
The commerce for Springer was a bit stunning as he got here from the rival 76ers, who shipped him to Boston for a 2024 second-round decide. Trades between in-division groups, particularly between championship-aspiring squads, are uncommon. On Friday, 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey had an fascinating clarification for dealing away the 21-year-old Springer.
“Our evaluation was that his timetable to help a playoff team is farther out than what the second-round pick can do for us,” Morey advised reporters, earlier than including, “it allows us to go out and maybe get a veteran at next year’s deadline.”
The Celtics are definitely glad to take him in and develop him, realizing he has nice upside and has already confirmed to be an impactful defender within the league. They noticed that firsthand throughout a preseason sport again in October.
“He had a couple good stints against (Stephen) Curry and (Luka) Doncic as well,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “I think if you can get specialists, guys that have shown that they have one skill and do it really, really well, that’s an asset while also trying to get him better for the long term, so I’ve definitely seen moments of his individual defense and his ability to change a game like that, so it’s definitely something we can have on our roster.”
Tip-ins
Brian Keefe, a local of Winchester, has been an assistant coach within the NBA since 2007 however made his first journey again to Boston as a head coach on Friday. In his first season with the Wizards, Keefe was promoted to interim head coach final month after the firing of Wes Unseld.
Keefe, the previous holder of Winchester High School’s scoring document, acknowledged it was particular to return residence as a head coach however didn’t wish to put an excessive amount of thought into it.
“Obviously I grew up about eight miles from here, so obviously a huge Celtics fan growing up, know the whole history of the team, family’s lived in this area for a very long time,” Keefe mentioned. “I think personally, yeah, it’s obviously a big deal. Pretty cool feeling. But I’ve been thinking about our group too much to focus on that.” …
Jayson Tatum, who was questionable to play as a result of a non-COVID sickness, was cleared to play in opposition to the Wizards, who entered with a 9-41 document.
Source: www.bostonherald.com