No wasted days: Xavier Tillman waiting in the wings for Grizzlies' call

In the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Memphis Grizzlieshead coach Taylor Jenkins had to turn elsewhere. Surprisingly, theWestern Conference’s second seed was outplayed by the upset-mindedMinnesota Timberwolves in its own building in a Game 1 loss, andneeded to pack a more powerful punch to ensure the series would betied going back to Minneapolis.

Enter Xavier Tillman Sr., a then-second-year big man who hadseen his playing time diminish from his rookie campaign. TheMichigan State product rewarded the team’s decision with a critical13-point, 7-rebound effort, all the while holding Wolves starKarl-Anthony Towns in check over 20 minutes in a Game 2victory.

“And then, it was kinda downhill from there. I didn't have aperformance like that again in the playoffs,” Tillman toldBasketball News in a phone interview.

As for why that was the case, according to him, it ultimatelycame down to his approach. Tillman spent most of his second seasonin play groups in practice, participating in scrimmages andweight-lifting. Admittedly, he would save his legs on certain daysbecause he figured he’d need extra energy to perform on gamedays.

Tillman waited for his number to be called as the yearprogressed. He was certain it would happen, but it didn’t… untilthe postseason. He was shocked, and, to him, it showed.

“I didn't take advantage of it as much as I should have, and Iknew it by the end of the season,” Tillman said. “I was like, ‘Man,I could've been at least like five times better than what Ifinished the season out with in the playoffs,’ simply because Iwasn't playing and it was a great opportunity for me to work on me.But I didn't see it as that.

“I would just keep like stacking and wasting those days,day-by-day. Then, you have the same mentality. And eventually...maybe you could say it caught up with me?”