Krivitsky: Xavier Tillman Sr. is making needed changes to prove last season was an outlier
September 30, 2025
Krivitsky: Xavier Tillman Sr. is making needed changes to prove last season was an outlier
12 comments
He’s younger than Payton Prichard. There’s still time for him to turn it around
Tillman shot 24% last year.
It will take a lot to make him a serviceable bench player. I just dont see them committing playing time to him unless he starts the season scorching.
The streets won’t forget him shooting 100% from 3 in the 2024 postseason
If Tillman can be who he was with Memphis in 22-23 it would make a massive difference. He needs to stop taking threes tho. For real.
I’ll buy in for now. He’s talented; we saw it. We saw it in Memphis, too. Last year he looked slow and heavy and lost, but with the knee feeling better and with a lighter frame, he could re-gain that step — especially when he’s not even old. Would love to see him be a baseline 3-shooting 4/5 regularly with this year’s team. We need him and I think he knows it. It’s a make or break season for him.
I hope it works out, because he seems like an awesome guy. Want nothing more than to root for this dude.
What about the season before that?
Doubt it, but would love to be wrong
Would love to see him turn it around next year but the man looked literally completely unplayable in all the minutes I watched of him last year. Hopefully that changes if he has more consistent playing time.
I’ve liked Tillman since before we acquired him. And can explain the last 18 months:
X had an injured knee when we acquired him. He lost his father in the middle of the title run. He didn’t rehab / get into shape last year, making the knee a chronic problem.
If his knee is healthy, X can really help this team. When he was healthy, he was a starting caliber Big, albeit a small Big. If healthy, he can provide the rebounding and defense this team needs.
I’m hoping X is healthy.
Best shape of his life!
He could get better, he could get worse, but the corner three lives forever.
He looked horrible last year but I hope the weight loss takes him back to his Grizzlies pre injury days. We need all of the frontcourt help we can get
12 comments
He’s younger than Payton Prichard. There’s still time for him to turn it around
Tillman shot 24% last year.
It will take a lot to make him a serviceable bench player. I just dont see them committing playing time to him unless he starts the season scorching.
The streets won’t forget him shooting 100% from 3 in the 2024 postseason
If Tillman can be who he was with Memphis in 22-23 it would make a massive difference. He needs to stop taking threes tho. For real.
I’ll buy in for now. He’s talented; we saw it. We saw it in Memphis, too. Last year he looked slow and heavy and lost, but with the knee feeling better and with a lighter frame, he could re-gain that step — especially when he’s not even old. Would love to see him be a baseline 3-shooting 4/5 regularly with this year’s team. We need him and I think he knows it. It’s a make or break season for him.
I hope it works out, because he seems like an awesome guy. Want nothing more than to root for this dude.
What about the season before that?
Doubt it, but would love to be wrong
Would love to see him turn it around next year but the man looked literally completely unplayable in all the minutes I watched of him last year. Hopefully that changes if he has more consistent playing time.
I’ve liked Tillman since before we acquired him. And can explain the last 18 months:
X had an injured knee when we acquired him. He lost his father in the middle of the title run. He didn’t rehab / get into shape last year, making the knee a chronic problem.
If his knee is healthy, X can really help this team. When he was healthy, he was a starting caliber Big, albeit a small Big. If healthy, he can provide the rebounding and defense this team needs.
I’m hoping X is healthy.
Best shape of his life!
He could get better, he could get worse, but the corner three lives forever.
He looked horrible last year but I hope the weight loss takes him back to his Grizzlies pre injury days. We need all of the frontcourt help we can get
Welcome back to the Brandon Bass era