Memphis Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee) will miss his third consecutive game with what the team is calling left knee injury recovery. This seems like there's still some soreness in his left knee and it's causing enough discomfort that he can't suit up and play on Friday against the Utah Jazz. The frontcourt is very thin after the Grizzlies have been hit by a major injury bug. Bismack Biyombo will likely see plenty of minutes at center while Santi Aldama could see some added time at the power forward spot if Jaren Jackson Jr. plays a little more center.

The Memphis Grizzlies have ruled out center Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee) for Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat. Memphis quickly downgraded Tillman to out on Tuesday after previously calling him day-to-day with left knee soreness, which made him a late scratch prior to Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. It's unclear if the 24-year-old disruptive defender suffered a setback during pregame warmups, but his next opportunity to suit up comes on Friday versus the Utah Jazz. With Steven Adams (knee) scheduled to undergo season-ending knee surgery, Tillman is putting forth uneven averages of 8.3 points (36.8% shooting from the field, 44.4% from the stripe), 7.5 rebounds, and 2.7 combined steals and blocks. The Grizzlies are down to journeyman Bismack Biyombo at the five, and he represents a stopgap solution for managers in need of help with blocks and boards.

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Xavier Tillman Sr. is considered the "leader in the clubhouse" to start following starter Steven Adams' (knee) season-ending knee surgery. Tillman is essentially the last big man standing for Wednesday's regular-season opener versus the New Orleans Pelicans, with Santi Aldama (ankle) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) sidelined. Free-throw shooting could be a problem, but Tillman posted some fairly well-rounded numbers with the starting five last year. The 24-year-old averaged 9.7 points on 63.8% shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 combined steals and blocks in 27.3 minutes as a starter in 2022-23. Tillman should be rostered in most season-long fantasy leagues as this situation plays out, and he figures to garner heavy DFS rostership as salary relief on Wednesday's big 12-game slate.

Memphis Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman Sr. will be back with the team for at least one more season. The organization has decided to exercise the team option on Tillman for the 2023-2024 campaign. Tillman averaged career-highs with 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists across 19.1 minutes per game last season. He mainly played off the bench, but had a bigger role in the rotation when Steven Adams went down with a knee injury. Normally, Tillman doesn't have a big role when Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. are healthy. However, it's nice to have the 24-year-old as insurance in case someone gets injured.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Xavier Tillman Sr. posted one of the best games of his career as he entered the starting five with Ja Morant (hand) remaining on the sidelines. The 24-year-old posted 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting, adding 13 rebounds and three assists. He played mistake-free basketball and boasted the highest plus/minus out of the entire starting five. His previous career best in the playoffs was 13 points and 7 rebounds which came against Minnesota in the first round of last year's post-season.

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Xavier Tillman Sr. will get the starting nod over Brandon Clarke on Wednesday. The Grizzlies face off against Jusuf Nurkic and the Portland Trail Blazers, and Memphis has opted to start Tillman due to the matchup. If this is the trend moving forward, we could see a rotating center spot between Tillman and Clarke until Steven Adams is able to return.