Simone's Six: Xavier Tillman's welcome home, missed layups, and more Hugo Hustle in Celtics-Hornets

BOSTON — Analysis only goes so far. And though using the word ‘ugly’ over and over again to describe Wednesday night’s Boston Celtics game against the Charlotte Hornets isn’t exactly in-depth, sometimes, it’s what works best.

Kevin Malone from The Office said it best:

“Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?"

Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

Here is ‘lot word’ anyway. But before the game talk…

1. Xavier Tillman’s return

When Xavier Tillman Sr. walked onto the floor for pre-game warm-ups, he was immediately engulfed by the Celtics’ player development staff. He said hello to everyone, doled out some hugs, and even did some push-ups for God Shammgod Jr., which he apparently owed him from a previous bet.

The 27-year-old forward helped the Celtics win a championship in 2024, but that wasn’t the only memory he pointed to when asked to reflect on his time in Boston.

“For sure, winning a championship, of course. But I just think, the relationships I was able to build while being here,” Tillman said. “I think about guys like Jordan [Walsh], and I think about guys like Payton [Pritchard], and Sam [Hauser], and Neem [Neemias Queta]. And then obviously, all the staff, those are guys who, we're playing cards together, we're like actually building genuine bonds and stuff like that. I mean, a lot of the guys.”

Luckily, he’s still in a situation with familiar faces. Hornets head coach Charles Lee and assistants Blaine Mueller and Jermaine Bucknor were all with the Celtics for the 2024 title run.

“It's been great. Those guys welcomed me with open arms, and it's been really seamless for me to be here on this team,” he said. “The guys have welcomed me in and showed me their culture, and it's been easy to really buy into what they got going on here.”

Despite not earning much playing time this season, Tillman remained an integral part of Boston’s locker-room culture. Everyone loved him. They confided in him.

He helped the Celtics’ locker room become more vulnerable.

“I think that's actually been really important for us. Everybody just being vulnerable,” Tillman told BostonSportsJournal.com back on January 21, before he was traded. “Everybody's kind of telling their feelings. Even when somebody says, 'Yo, I want the shot, I want the ball,' that's necessary, so then as a team, we can work to try to get the person what they need. Because we want everybody at their peak. 

“We want everybody at their best, feeling good, so that, when they get their opportunities, they're not thinking about anything else, other than being aggressive. So, for me, you know, it's been really awesome to see guys come to me and be vulnerable about wanting more minutes or wanting more opportunities. And my best advice is like, 'Man, you're doing everything you're supposed to do.' Because I'm watching them work out every day, I'm watching their preparation, their film study, and I'm like, 'You just have be ready.' 

“And what that means is you just keep doing what you're doing, you keep encouraging your teammates who do get those opportunities, and have fun in it, because you're already putting in all the work. Now, it's your job to be engaged, and sooner or later, you're gonna get your number called, and because you were engaged, you're gonna be ready for your moment.”

Tillman’s teammates saw him as an outlet. A guy they could always depend on: “Most of those are private-ish conversations, so I don’t know if other guys [have guys] come to them. But I get a lot of them, for sure.”

So, while the Celtics may have liked to keep Tillman around, the chance to duck the luxury tax was staring them in the face.

As soon as Anfernee Simons got traded, Tillman had a feeling he could be moved.

“I kind of had some Inklings after Ant got traded that like, 'Okay, we're making some moves,’” he said. “Then, as we were flying back from Houston, or I don't remember who we played [then]. Dallas, maybe. I don't remember. Whoever we flew back last from. Maybe it was Houston. I was wondering, like, 'Is something gonna happen?' 

“You try to prepare for that. But then once I was getting close to driving home from the airport, my agent was like, 'Yeah, I think something's gonna happen here soon.' Because it was in the last hours or so of the deadline being over.”

The Celtics were all smiles when they saw Tillman. The entire organization loved him. And his impact on the Celtics organization was way more than what he accomplished on the court.

But back to the action…

2. Missed layups

Much like the game descriptor, sometimes, the simplest answer is the best one. The Celtics could not make a layup on Wednesday night.

“Listen, we went 4-for-18 from layups,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “So, I don't really know what else to tell you. That was in the first half. We went 11-for-33, I think, in the game. Brought it up to like 33%.”

“Had a lot of great shots at the rim,” said Jaylen Brown. “I had a lot of great shots at the rim to start. Just didn't go down. And I got to be better at the rim. I got to put my team in a better position, especially to start the game. We issed a lot of easy ones at the at the rim, and then that led to our defense a little bit.”

Boston’s offensive process functioned well early in this game. They just didn’t convert. And that spiraled into Charlotte's success.

Here, Nikola Vucevic misses a layup under the rim, and the Hornets get out in transition. They have momentum on the run, and Coby White scores an easy layup

There were plenty of those bunnies, but getting blocked at the rim is even worse.

Here, Ryan Kalkbrenner gets the best of Brown, who ends up on the ground. That instantly creates a four-on-five fastbreak for Charlotte, and Brandon Miller nails a three.

Missed layups are instant advantages for the opposition. Boston got to know that reality very well on Wednesday night.

3. Turnover gap

The Hornets only turned the ball over four times on Wednesday night. The Celtics coughed it up 15 times. That right there is a game-altering difference.

Charlotte outscored Boston 22-9 on fastbreak points (and even though that still wouldn’t have made up the gap between the two sides, it at least would have helped).

“They do a good job screening,” Mazzulla said. “They do a good job with their ball-handlers. I think their pick-and-roll spacing was good. Obviously, we had a couple 50-50 [balls] that we didn't come up with. But I think the way that they shoot the ball kept us out of our shifts a little bit. So, next time we play them, we'll just be better at that.”

Screening was definitely a plus for the Hornets…

4. Pick-and-roll difference

…and Moussa Diabate led that charge.

Boston was dropping its bigs back into the paint. Queta and Vucevic sunk back in the pick-and-roll, and it gave Charlotte’s ball-handlers a bit too much room to work. And they made Boston pay.

Derrick White just doesn’t help over fast enough here, and Vucevic is so deep into the paint that he can’t even contest the shot.

LaMelo Ball does the same thing here, as Queta is in the restricted area.

Based on White’s fight to get over the screen, it seems like this was part of Boston’s game plan, likely to chase the Hornets off the three-point line. But in the end, it just allowed for some easy buckets early on.

5. Hugo Gonzalez gaining steam

After his 18-point, 16-rebound showing against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday provided Hugo Gonzalez a chance to keep up his own momentum. And despite the loss, he did just that.

Gonzalez ended the game with eight points and six rebounds, including four offensive boards.

These two plays came in rapid succession.

First, White tries to attack him one-on-one, but the Celtics rookie absolutely clamps him up with elite footwork and a great contest as the cherry on top.

Then, on the very next possession, he soars up for a monster offensive rebound over Kon Knueppel, gets blocked, and chases it down all the way out at the three-point line for another board in the scoresheet.

Gonzalez never stops running, and as the playoffs inch closer, he could have a chance to earn a rotation spot once late April hits.

6. The big man debacle

Luka Garza should be playing minutes.

Wednesday night was an extreme example, but neither Vucevic nor Queta had much, so Mazzulla turned to Garza. And though he didn’t play amazingly, the energy he brings to the court is infectious.

His performance in Milwaukee proved that he’s still capable of playing impactful minutes. It’s just hard to find time for him to be on the court with two starting-level centers.

But Mazzulla should try. Because Garza plays winning basketball.