When he arrived as a second-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Xavier Tillman brought with him a reputation as one of the nation’s most rugged and effective defenders.
A year later, the former Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year is emerging as one of the more clutch offensive performers and playmakers among the Grizzlies’ young core.
So what’s been the source of Tillman’s encouraging transformation?
“Definitely development,” the Grizzlies’ rising second-year big man insists. “Just working day in and day out, and then having the coaching staff and the video guys always in my ear.