The Boston Celtics brought in former Gonzaga big man Killian Tillie to their Summer League team, and he enjoyed a successful few games with the club. The 26-year-old shot the ball well, showed solid instincts, and was pretty comfortable.
All of that may not sound overly impressive, but considering it was his first time playing professional basketball in 851 days, it’s not a bad place to start.
Tillie was originally signed by the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. He spent a couple of seasons in Memphis but got hurt toward the end of the 2021-22 season. But right before he was set to get back on the court, he got hurt again.
Killian Tillie restarted his basketball career with the Celtics
For well over two years, Tillie sat idly by, watching the basketball world go on without him. Then, this summer, he finally got his chance to play again. He spoke with Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review about the agony he went through trying to get healthy.
“I was very happy to get back because it was two, two-and-a-half years of nothing. Just watching TV, and it was just a lot of fun to be back out there,” Tillie said. “I know some shots didn’t really get in, but I didn’t care. I just shot the same shot over and over again, and I was just happy to be out there, playing with some energy.”
And when the Celtics came calling to bring him on board, it was a no-brainer.
“They’re a great organization to be with, so I didn’t think twice,” Tillie said.
In five Summer League games with the Celtics, Tillie averaged 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48.5% from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the three-point line.
His first game of the event was a bit slow, but once he found his rhythm, he looked comfortable again. The three-point shot could be a big key to getting back into the league for Tillie, and he was fearless.
But that’s just Celtics basketball.
“Boston, they want to shoot 3s, so you know we’ve got the green light,” Tillie said. “They give us confidence to shoot every time and also crash the boards and do a little bit of everything. Also defensively, they like to switch on everything so being able to switch on smaller guards is important to be in the league, be a strength on defense. That’s a good thing to do.”
Anton Watson, who played for one year at Gonzaga with Tillie, just recently took up Boston’s final two-way spot. That means there likely isn’t much room for Tillie to make the roster, especially since training camp deals are filling up.
That said, the Celtics were a great place for him to restart his career, and who knows, perhaps he could be donning a Maine Celtics jersey next year.