To say that preseason in the NBA is meaningless would be disingenuous. But results rarely matter, as it is the process of getting into game speed and jelling with teammates that should take precedence for NBA teams. Nonetheless, getting a win or two always elicits a good feeling, and this was certainly the case for the Boston Celtics during their Wednesday night preseason tilt against the Toronto Raptors — with third-string big man Xavier Tillman Sr. being the hero for the home team.
With 3.3 seconds remaining in the game, Tillman received the ball along the left elbow and was wide-open. Instead of settling for a difficult long two, he drove the ball towards the paint and stopped just short of a contest from Jamison Battle, pulling up for a game-winning floater which he calmly swished through the net.
Xavier Tillman WINS it for the Celtics in their preseason finale 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 16, 2025
It's not quite clear what role Tillman will be playing for the Celtics in the regular season, and it's unclear as to how much this game-winner would impact his place in the rotation.
At the very least, the Celtics have an opening in the frontcourt, and Tillman definitely has an opportunity to seize a larger role the way he did back when he was a more consistent rotation player for the Memphis Grizzlies.
With Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet no longer on the team, the Celtics have plenty of gaps to fill in the frontcourt. The early indications coming out of preseason show that the likes of Chris Boucher and Neemias Queta will be the favorites to start for Boston at center. But Tillman's defensive versatility as well as timely shot-making could help establish him as one of the first big men for the Celtics off the bench.
On Wednesday night, Tillman finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
Celtics look to sort out rotation heading into opening night
The only nailed-on starters for the Celtics for this upcoming campaign arNBAe Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. It looks as though Queta and Sam Hauser will be joining that trio in the starting five, but head coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to maintain lineup flexibility around those three roster fulcrums.
Joining those five in the rotation to start the year will be Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, and Josh Minott — with Minott being a revelation in preseason. Perhaps Luka Garza, Tillman, or Baylor Scheierman could also earn minutes through the season.
