Heading into Monday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics were only missing two rotation pieces—Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet. Everyone else was healthy, meaning the Celtics could run their usual starting lineup with Al Horford in place of Brown. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Joe Mazzulla decided to start Xavier Tillman.
The Celtics acquired Tillman from the Grizzlies at last year’s trade deadline. He played an expected role in the NBA Finals, helping Boston get through the loss of Kristaps Porzingis. But this year, he’s been out of the regular rotation, especially in the second half of the season.
Yet Mazzulla still wanted to give him this opportunity.
Joe Mazzulla explained why he started Xavier Tillman vs. the Grizzlies
After the game, when asked about the decision to start Tillman in Memphis, Mazzulla explained that he likes to take every possible opportunity to validate every player on the roster.
“You have moments when you’re able to validate your entire roster,” Mazzulla said via CLNS Media. “I just appreciate X, and the entire roster is important for a season.”
Mazzulla wanted to allow Tillman the chance to show off that he can still help win games, as he believes in his ability to do just that.
“He can still impact winning," Mazzulla said. "I just appreciate who he is as a person, and I think you’ve got to validate the roster at times. I know that he can still help us, and there may be an opportunity where he does. I was grateful that we were able to give him that opportunity to be able to do that."
In his limited minutes—7:49 of game time—Tillman didn’t do anything that jumped off the box score. He shot 0-of-5 on all three-point attempts, but that’s not all that mattered.
“X can still impact winning,” Mazzulla said. “Yeah, he was 0-for-5, but he got two big rebounds. He got Edey two fouls to start the game, which affected their rim protection. He got a deflection steal in the third quarter on a live-ball turnover.”
Mazzulla believes in every single player on the roster, and he makes sure to let them know that. Letting Tillman start against his former team was his way of showing the belief and trust he still has in him.
That’s what Celtics fans should take away from this decision and Mazzulla’s explanation for it. He’s creating a culture of trust, belief, and togetherness, and for a team that’s looking to become the first repeat champions in six years, that’s essential.
feed