The Boston Celtics sent two second round draft picks and Lamar Stevens at the trade deadline to acquire Xavier Tillman from Memphis. He’s only played in one game since the trade and it was only for three minutes, so what’s his role going to be?

The frontcourt has been solid this season in a committee of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, with a sprinkling of Neemias Queta, who’s currently on a two-way contract, but has spent more time in Boston than in Maine this season.

The big question about the Celtics leading into the season was about the frontcourt depth to support an injury prone unicorn in Porzingis and an aging veteran in Horford, but neither have been problematic for Boston throughout the regular season (Horford 48-games, Porzingis 43-games).

The assumption was that Tillman was going to take minutes away from Kornet, who’s averaging 14.7 minutes per game this season, but that hasn’t happened. Although Tillman only recently cleared the injury report, it still doesn’t look like he’s included in the rotational mix for a game.

With 24-games remaining on their schedule in the regular season, the Celtics have four back-to-backs in that span, which should open the door for Tillman to get on the court more often than not before the playoffs. It’s also important to see how he’ll gel with team prior to doing so in the playoffs.

Tillman will likely play a similar role to what Blake Griffin provided the team last year. When Horford sits out during a back-to-back game, or if Porzingis needs a day off, or if one of them gets injured, Tillman will be the next man up for an extended role on that night.

The difference between Griffin and Tillman joining the Celtics is that everybody knew where Griffin was in his career rather with Tillman whose career is just getting started. Tillman is only 25-years-old, in his fourth season and could be a long-term fit for Boston.

In an interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Tillman said that he understands his role in the NBA.

“Just being a professional, making sure that I’m showing up on time and working out as hard as I can, making sure I’m eating the right things and treating my body right and getting proper rest so that I’m ready for when those opportunities come. Not necessarily the performance based but giving myself the best chance to be successful for when those opportunities come. It’s pretty easy for me to do because my whole career has been like ‘in rotation, out of rotation, so for me it’s nothing new.”

Tillman will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but the Celtics will still have his bird rights, which is valuable when it comes to roster building for the future.

It’s worth mentioning that although it’s been Kornet who stepped into the Griffin role this season, it’s Tillman who is more versatile on both ends of the court and can offer Boston a little more, despite Kornet being great in his role this season.

Although it’s highly unlikely for an end of the bench player to be on the court in the playoffs, it’s important for Boston to be prepared for it if something occurs during their playoff run and that’s what Tillman is for them; a reliable and versatile big man.

Follow us on X @CelticsFiles

Follow me on X @Trombino20

Photo Credit: Boston Celtics