Joe Mazzulla was excited to talk about what trade deadline addition Xavier Tillman brings to the Boston Celtics following the C's 138-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on March 1 at the TD Garden.
“He’s a guy that can help our switchability and still have size,” Mazzulla told reporters postgame (h/t Boston.com). “So that’s one of the things that I’m grateful for with this team, is they keep an open mind and they have an understanding that we do what’s best for the team and what impacts winning. And so we felt like that was the right thing to go to tonight to continue to switch them, and it’s a credit to him and a credit to the rest of the guys for understanding that’s what’s most important.”
Tillman was a +13 in 15 minutes of floor-time, scoring six points, collecting two assists, one rebound, and a block.
Jaylen Brown believes Xavier Tillman fits right in on Boston Celtics
Just as important as Mazzulla's approval is the Celtics' stars, and Tillman has that. Jaylen Brown believes the former Memphis Grizzlies big man "fits right in" on Boston's roster.
“X looked good out there, man,” Brown told reporters. “It’s like, he fit right in. He came right in and made contributions on defense, got a few rebounds, got some stops. Offense, you could tell he got a good feel for the game. A good screen setter. He got big hands so I was able to find him a few times on the baseline and hit him in some of those seam passes and just reading the defense and how they were guarding. X looked real good tonight.”
Brown's comments about fans booing Kyrie Irving -- and how they should be doing the same when other stars like the Denver Nuggets' two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, visit the TD Garden -- may get more attention than his assessment of Tillman, but undoubtedly, this opinion will be more influential to what really matters: Boston's pursuit of Banner 18.