The Charlotte Hornets needed the locker room stability when they traded Collin Sexton. Now, after making a low-risk move at the final buzzer of the trade deadline, Jeff Peterson has kept that stability intact.
When the Charlotte Hornets traded away Collin Sexton to add Coby White, it was a devastating blow to the locker room.
While White brings in efficiency and a higher offensive ceiling, Sexton was an integral part of keeping the culture intact.
That’s why General Manager Jeff Peterson had to bring in someone similar to keep the boys’ heads afloat.
As the NBA trade deadline neared its conclusion, Peterson made a move that typically goes unnoticed in the grand scheme of things, but one that would make shockwaves to the overall culture of the team.
The Hornets traded for Xavier Tillman from the Boston Celtics for a 2030 second round pick.
Sure, Tillman averages just 5.1 points per game and 3.8 rebounds over his six year career, but he’s so much more than numbers on a stat sheet.
Sexton had only been with the Hornets for a half-season, but it was clear how respected he was in the locker room.
When Charlotte’s season started off poor, it was Sexton who became the mouthpiece of a young team trying to navigate through its growing pains.
The Hornets became the center of trade discussion with superstar guard LaMelo Ball in the midst of their struggles. Around the time Charlotte had started its season with a 9-20 record, rumors were swirling about Ball’s unhappiness with the organization.
And in this tabloid culture in this sport, a simple denial from Ball wasn’t going to be enough for discourse, so Sexton took it upon himself to show how much Ball cares about the team.
“He’s one of those people that is like, ‘How can I be better? How can I get better?’ He puts everything on himself. He’s one of those people that doesn’t point the finger to anyone – to the coaches or to us. He’s always like, ‘It’s on me.’ I feel like as a leader and as someone that is our guy for this team, for him to do that, he could easily point to someone else. But he takes the blame."
So losing a guy like that, albeit for a higher-end player in White can be a blow to the locker room.
Which is why Tillman is so important.
Back in December, Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell from CelticsBlog wrote on how important Tillman was to the franchise even though he rarely played.
“For as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve been known as a talker,” Tillman told Dalzell. “You ask my mom and my siblings, I’ve always been a talker. I’ve always felt comfortable enough to speak my opinion. Whether you take it or not? That’s another question. But, I’ll say my two cents.”
That two cents can be so critical, even to a roster filled with veterans and those with NBA Championship experience.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized how important he was to the squad.
“He’s almost become, quickly, a vet for us,” Mazzulla said. “I’ve been very appreciative of how he’s handled just the trajectory of his role here.”
He’s become a go-to guy when a teammate just needs to talk to somebody. As professional athletes who get paid like royalty, we tend to brush aside any problems they may be going through off the court.
As if “he’ll be fine, he makes a million dollars a year.”
But it’s not always fine. Athletes still undergo real life problems, they just live a lot more comfortably than the average person on a financial level.
That’s where Tillman comes in. He’s there to listen, to understand the root of your issue, and to relate to what’s going on. Not a lot of teammates will go out of their way to help you. But Tillman understands the pressure of real life.
“Everybody needs to speak their two cents so that nobody’s assuming that somebody has an agenda they don’t have,” Tillman said. “If somebody is not on their A-game today, and somebody just comes and says, ‘See, he’s always like this!’ versus, ‘No, he’s experiencing something off the court.’
“But if you don’t talk to them, you don’t know, and then you go into judging. So it’s very important that you get to know people. And then it’s also important on the other side — that if you are feeling some type of way, you got to voice how you’re feeling, so then everybody can move accordingly to try to help.”
It’s important to check on your teammates. Whether it be in your workplace, your friends, family. You may think you have a lot going on in your life, but there’s always someone that’s been dealt a rawer deal.
For a young team like the Hornets that is trying to navigate their way into greatness, Tillman’s voice matters more than ever.
Trading Sexton helped this roster improve skill wise, but bringing in Tillman indicated that Peterson understood the importance of “having the adult in the room.”
Now? Let the veteran do his work, and help guide these young men into champions.