3 Dark Horse Celtics Who Can Decide the NBA Finals

Xavier Tillman

Why on earth could a third-stringer who’s appeared in less than half of Boston’s playoff games alter the course of the Finals?

Bear with me. For all of the Celtics’ indomitable strengths (and they have quite a few), frontcourt depth is not one of them. And, when you factor in Kristaps Porzingis’s calf injury and Al Horford’s age, Boston’s suddenly a minor injury away from a real crisis.

The acquisition of Xavier Tillman at the trade deadline was overlooked by many; it wasn’t a splashy move, and Tillman never figured to play big minutes if the team stayed healthy. And, so far, he hasn’t, appearing in just 26 games for the Celtics across the second half of the season and the postseason.

Tillman isn’t some scrub, though. He’s a strong, physical defender who can guard all five positions, and while he’s never excelled offensively, he’s capable enough around the rim. The fourth-year man has playoff experience, too, having started 12 games across two playoff runs with Memphis. 

I’m not saying he’ll get pressed into service - for our sake, I hope not - but Tillman makes for an intriguing matchup if the time comes. His quick, 6’8”, 245 lb frame makes him an ideal switch defender for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, and he’s big enough to hang with centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively. Throwing him at center instead of Horford or Porzingis lets the Celtics switch everything much more seamlessly, and figures to gunk up a Mavericks offense that relies heavily on drawing slow big men out to the perimeter. 

Tillman’s value offensively is less apparent. He’s a bad shooter and doesn’t do anything that Horford doesn’t do better. Again, in an ideal world, he plays a fairly minimal role in this series; however, if the injury bug bites, he has the perfect profile to make a difference.