Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On The Boston Celtics
Episode: Boston Celtics' Front Court CRISIS | Can Xavier Tillman SAVE the Day?
Host: John Karalis (with guest Tom Westerholm)
Date: September 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the looming crisis in the Boston Celtics' front court as the team faces the upcoming season with uncertainty at the power forward and center positions. Host John Karalis is joined by Tom Westerholm to dissect the available options, with a keen focus on the largely overlooked Xavier Tillman. The discussion explores if Tillman, should he be healthy and return to his Memphis Grizzlies form, could "snap" the shaky Celtics rotation into place and help the team reach its best-case scenario. Together, they analyze how the front court fits together, debate starting options, and candidly assess the roster’s limitations and possible upside.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of the Celtics’ Front Court [01:26]

• Boston's front court is widely seen as their main weakness heading into the season.
• Few names have dominated off-season conversations—except, notably, Xavier Tillman, who has been largely forgotten.
• John Karalis: "One name we have not been talking about very much at all… it's Xavier Tillman" [02:54].

2. Why Xavier Tillman Matters [04:11 – 09:43]

• If healthy, Tillman’s presence as a starting power forward could bring much-needed stability.
• John Karalis: "If Xavier Tillman can be a starting power forward for the Celtics, then that snaps the entire… rotation into place.” [05:37]
• Tom and John reflect on how Tillman's age, play style, and locker room presence would fit in—despite never being a regular NBA starter.
• Tom Westerholm: “He’s really not that far removed from being the guy that Memphis was really upset to lose.” [07:34]

On Team Defense

• Tillman’s mobility, lateral movement, and ability as a help defender are key, especially when defending pick-and-rolls and rotating out to corners.
• John Karalis: “If Tillman can come in and help… defensively, then he is worth his weight in accolades for it.” [11:17]

3. Reality Check: Limitations & Best-Case Scenario [09:43 – 13:04]

• Both agree: Even at his best, Tillman is not an ideal starting-caliber NBA power forward.
• Tom Westerholm: “Historically, he’s never been [a starting-caliber player]... the most starts he’s ever had was 29 out of 61 games.” [09:59]
• The front court is a patchwork, and expectations need to be managed.
• John Karalis: “Even Brad Stevens couldn't come up with anything complimentary to say… He was just basically saying like, yeah, yeah, we, our front court sucks.” [10:25]

4. Front Court Rotation & Defense Scenarios [16:04 – 22:16]

• The perimeter (White, Brown, Pritchard, etc.) is solid offensively, but lack of interior defense and rebounding is a glaring issue.
• If Tillman is passable defensively, starting Nimius Queta at center becomes more viable, with Tillman or Boucher covering power forward.
• The group weighs offensive vs. defensive priorities, considering whether to start shot-blockers like Boucher or offensive bigs like Garza.

Notable Quotes

• John Karalis: “A middle of the pack defense with… an offense that’s going to be pretty good still… that’s still a potential sixth seed.” [16:22]
• Tom Westerholm (on Boucher): "For this team… you want to talk about something that if Tillman could do at any level, that would be super helpful… remember that like, three game stretch where it looked like he might make threes? If you could get a little bit of Fool’s Gold for a season, that would go a long way." [20:39]

5. Maximizing Role Players & Managing Weaknesses [22:35 – 29:19]

• Playing Keda at the rim lets him focus on what he does best—rim protection—while Tillman or Boucher do the running.
• Simplicity is key: giving players clear, focused roles increases the odds of success.
• Tom Westerholm: “So much of this season is just going to be trying to… maximize the super strengths that you can. There's going to be weaknesses and that just… is going to have to be what it is because this is a deeply, deeply imperfect basketball team.” [28:18]

The Big Picture: Realistic Goals & The “Four Game” Theory [29:19 – End]

• How can Boston reach a 44–45 win season? It comes down to winning more of the “evenly matched” games versus other mid-tier teams—potentially by just four additional victories.
• John Karalis: “If Tillman being available and passable as a starter… helps you win four of those games… now you’re a 45 win team. That’s how I get to 45 wins with these guys.” [31:34]

Memorable Closing Metaphor

• John Karalis: “This season’s gonna be like driving an unreliable car. There’s gonna… be a lot of times you’re like, alright, I’m gonna turn this key and… see if this sucker starts.” [34:33]
• Tom Westerholm: “We’re gonna spend the whole season telling ourselves that… that’s condensation. That’s not oil.” [35:16]

Highlighted Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:37 | John Karalis | "If Xavier Tillman can be a starting power forward for the Celtics, then that snaps the entire… rotation into place." | | 07:34 | Tom Westerholm | “He’s really not that far removed from being the guy that Memphis was really upset to lose.” | | 11:17 | John Karalis | "If Tillman can come in and help… defensively, then he is worth his weight in accolades for it." | | 10:25 | John Karalis | "Even Brad Stevens couldn't come up with anything complimentary to say… He was just basically saying like, yeah, our front court sucks." | | 16:22 | John Karalis | “A middle of the pack defense with… an offense that’s going to be pretty good still… that’s still a potential sixth seed.” | | 20:39 | Tom Westerholm | "If you could get a little bit of Fool’s Gold for a season, that would go a long way." | | 28:18 | Tom Westerholm | “So much of this season is just going to be trying to… maximize the super strengths that you can.” | | 31:34 | John Karalis | "If Tillman being available and passable as a starter… helps you win four of those games… now you’re a 45 win team." | | 34:33 | John Karalis | "This season’s gonna be like driving an unreliable car… we're gonna see if this sucker starts.” | | 35:16 | Tom Westerholm | “We’re gonna spend the whole season telling ourselves that… that’s condensation. That’s not oil.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:26] – Setting up the Celtics’ front court crisis
• [04:11] – Discussion of Tillman’s possible role and the IF of his health
• [06:21] – The ripple effect of having a reliable power forward
• [09:43] – A reality check on Tillman’s career as a starter
• [16:04] – Projecting the defense and rotation possibilities
• [22:16] – Offense vs. defense trade-offs in rotation
• [26:37] – Keeping Keda in a simplified role to maximize impact
• [29:19] – “Four games” theory for the Celtics to achieve 44–45 wins
• [34:33] – Closing car metaphors and expectations

Conclusion

The hosts agree: The Celtics’ season hinges on maximizing the available (if flawed) bigs—especially Xavier Tillman. His surprising re-emergence as a key power forward could plug critical rotation holes, lift the team’s defense from bottom third to merely below average, and help Boston snag those crucial win margins over middling teams. But if Tillman falters, the path to respectability becomes far more daunting. The consensus? It’s a season of “making do”—and hoping that the unreliable car at least gets you to your destination more often than not.

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