After entering the league as a second-round pick in 2020, nothing was ever going to be given to Xavier Tillman at the NBA level. Anything he wanted, he was going to have to work for it.

Now set to begin Year 6 of his NBA journey -- after ending the preseason with a flourish -- the work continues, even with a set role seemingly carved out for him in Boston.

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"He's just the ultimate professional," Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after Tillman's last-second shot to beat the Raptors in the team's final preseason game Wednesday night. "It's a credit to him and just his mindset to come in like he has, and he's given us everything we could ask for."

While everybody gets to see his work during games and his coache

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