hugepatsfan wrote:Xavier Tillman is an interesting prospect for me. I think he can bring some of the Horford skill set. He's 6'8" with a 7'1" wingspan compared to 6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan for Horford. Like Horford, he's a good secondary playmaker and can keep the ball moving within the offensive scheme. Sets good screens, fundamentally sounds. I like his defensive potential to switch and hold down paint. The jump shot shows potential to be effective.
I think Horford would be the high end of his upside. I think he could settle in as a Daniel Theis fit too. Maybe with a little more size. It's not a super flashy pick but I could definitely see him fitting into our rotation. We all hope Rob Williams pans out but the injury history is somewhat concerning. Kanter seems unlikely to be here past next year. Theis is a FA after next year. Next year is his age 28 season so if he's re-signed you're talking his age 29 and potentially 30 seasons (can see 2 years for him, can't see 3). He's had knee issues so wouldn't be the worst thing to add another big to the pipeline as a contingency plan.
Hard pass on Tillman. He's a less athletic and worse shooting Grant Williams. Lack of explosiveness is really concerning to me. Rumors are he's going back to MSU anyways. I'd be fine with picking him in 2nd round but his game just isn't a great fit for modern NBA in my opinion and he doesn't offer much defensive versatility. Great rebounder and screen setter though. I think he's safely behind This, Kanter, Timelord, and Grant in rotation and wouldn't play so at that point I'd rather take someone with bigger upside since any rookie we pick there in late 1st round won't get minutes next year anyways.
I think he's a fine player but would personally rather have the Celtics pick someone with more upside and I would hate picking Tillman in the 1st round. I just don't see him being a first round guy to be frank.