3 Celtics Playing Their Final Season in Boston
3. Xavier Tillman
The last player on this list is one who's yet to play in a Celtics jersey at the time of writing. Boston acquired fourth-year big man Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for two future second-rounders at the trade deadline.
Having said that, Tillman — a pending unrestricted free agent — has a lot to prove if he wants to stick around behind the current campaign.
Before getting traded, Tillman was struggling to produce offensively in Memphis. The former 2020 second-round selection is only averaging 6.0 points while shooting a career-worst 40.8 FG% and 22.6 3P%. It's nice that he's averaging 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block per game, but it's going to be tough to justify his spot in the organization if his offensive struggles continue.
On top of that, it remains to be seen when Tillman will even make his Celtics debut. The former Michigan State Spartan hasn't played since Jan. 29 due to a knee injury and the only thing we know is that Boston plans to debut him sometime after the All-Star Break. While injuries can be out of a player's control, limited availability doesn't help his odds of being re-signed, either.
Hopefully, Tillman gets healthy soon and becomes a solid contributor come the postseason. Otherwise, his first season in Boston could be his last.
More Boston Celtics news and rumors:
feed