The NBA Playoffs are in full swing, as teams continue to punch their tickets for the second round of the tournament. Several former Michigan State Spartans made this season’s playoffs with their teams, including forward Xavier Tillman with the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics are still the team to beat going into this playoff process, as they are looking to defend their championship. Following a 61-21 record in the regular season, Tillman and the Celtics are still looking like the team to take down if another champion wishes to be crowned.
Tillman is in his second season with the Celtics, as he was a part of the championship squad last season. Although he still remains on the roster, his role decreased this past season when it came to the production aspect, seeing the least amount of average points scored per game since debuting in 2020.
This past season, the MSU product was only able to average one point scored per game in 33 games. While even making two starts, Tillman was primarily used as a defender rather than a scorer, only during the regular season, which decreased.
Averaging less than two rebounds per game during the regular season, Tillman had to find a way to contribute to his team as they looked to raise back-to-back championships in the air. Still, through five games played for Boston in the playoffs, the former Spartan has yet to touch the court.
Through eight games played during the playoffs a season ago, Tillman was able to score 1.5 points per game and averaged less than 10 minutes on the court. From being a part of the championship-winning team to just sitting on the bench, how can the MSU product contribute?
Well, if the Celtics are going to stick around the playoffs for a while as they did last season, the former Spartan could be seeing time on the court in the next round, giving some of his teammates a minute to breathe. Any way that he can find himself on the court, he will take.
The Celtics await the winner of the Detroit Pistons-New York Knicks series, as they play game six in Detroit later today.
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