Sure, it was only preseason. The game didn’t actually count.
But Xavier Tillman’s last-second floater to beat the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night still put a wide smile on the embattled big man’s face.
“It feels amazing,” a beaming Tillman said after the Celtics’ 110-108 win at TD Garden. “Those are the moments that I really relish. It helps you stay motivated to the consistent day-to-day grind. You just get a chance to really shine and let your work do the talking. Those are my favorite moments, for sure.”
X GAVE IT TO EM 😤 pic.twitter.com/YCfo7Ee1N9
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 16, 2025
Tillman’s 11-footer with 1.4 seconds to play saved Boston from a late-game collapse — a closing lineup of him, Anfernee Simons, Baylor Scheierman, Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez had squandered a 12-point lead in the final two minutes — and capped an encouraging camp for a player who spent most of last season marooned at the end of head coach Joe Mazzulla’s bench.
After seeing consistent playing time following his February 2024 trade from Memphis and hitting a clutch 3-pointer to help Boston win Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals against Dallas, Tillman tumbled down the depth chart in 2024-25, the result of poor shooting and lingering knee issues. He was the Celtics’ fifth big for the majority of last season, hardly playing outside of occasional garbage-time cameos.
That should change this season.
Tillman spent the summer reworking his body and dialing in his shot. Now 12 pounds slimmer, and with his knee problems under control, he said he felt like a different player this preseason.
“Absolutely, yeah. I felt it a lot,” Tillman said. “And it’s mainly on the defensive end and rebounding. I just feel more explosive, versus last year I would kind of be scared to jump because I didn’t know if my knee would be able to absorb the reaction and the force and stuff like that. But now I feel confident in me cutting and jumping and stuff like that, which gives me the confidence to be more aggressive on different defensive plays, which will help the team a lot.”
It also helps Tillman that he no longer has Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet above him on the depth chart. Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Tillman all should see minutes in Boston’s overhauled frontcourt, at least to start the season, and the defensive approach Mazzulla is emphasizing to maximize his new roster is a better fit for the 6-foot-8 Tillman’s skill set.
“He’s been here for two-and-a-half years, and I think he’s just the ultimate professional and has really just handled the situation,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously coming in halfway through the year, and the big shot that he hit for us (in the Finals), and then last year obviously not going the way that he may have wanted it to, but then coming in with a different mindset. And I think we’re doing some things defensively that kind of fit his personnel and fit the way he plays. You could see he does a great job getting deflections, does a great job with active hands, protecting the rim. So I think we’re doing some of that stuff, and it’s a credit to him and his mindset to come in like he has.”
Tillman echoed that, saying the Celtics’ more aggressive defense plays to his strengths.
“I feel good about it, because I have an ability to anticipate a lot of passes,” he said. “So if I see something coming kind of like a mile away, we’re pressuring and turning guys to where I can go and get the steal or vice versa. If I’m guarding the big, I can pressure him and somebody else can see it from a mile away and get a steal, as well. So it definitely suits me. I’m more of an aggressive type of defender versus a stay back and defend the rim type of defender.”
Mazzulla said Tillman has “given us everything we could ask for” in practices and exhibition games.
“And that’s kind of what it’s all about,” the coach said. “So I don’t care that it’s a preseason game. The fact is, we won, and he was a big part of that, and he delivered, and we’re going to need him as we start the season.”
All seven of Tillman’s points Wednesday night came in the final four minutes, including a straightaway 3-pointer that put Boston ahead 97-94. He also had seven rebounds and an assist.
“It’s great to see his hard work,” guard Derrick White said. “Obviously, being hurt and battling through stuff like he has been for last season, and for him to feel confident in his ability and in his body to go out there and make plays like doing Euro steps and stuff, it’s great to see. X has worked his ass off for this, and so it’s great to see him get the reward for that.”