Former Gonzaga men’s basketball player Killian Tillie signed a 2 years, $4 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Tillie went undrafted in 2020 and signed with the Grizzlies organization on a two-way contract, but the new deal which goes until 2023 has been upgraded to a regular NBA deal.
The second year player originally from France has seen his minutes rise drastically over the stretch of the last week while the Grizzlies have 10 players out. After averaging around 10 minutes of floor time through the first 36 games of his career, Tillie has averaging over 22 minutes of playing time in Memphis’ last four games.
Over that span, he’s gathered six steals and 15 rebounds with an average +/- of eight per contest to help Memphis get a four-game winning streak going. He also brought down an empathic dunk over Jalen Smith when the Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 27.
Tillie still has yet to start a game for the Grizzlies since a lone start came for him against the Sacramento Kings late last season. He’s currently seeing time largely at the power forward position behind Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyle Anderson.
He’s contending for minutes at the four spot with fellow GU alumnus Brandon Clarke. Clarke is in the third year of his four year rookie contract after being drafted by Memphis in 2019. The Zags all time leader in single-season blocks is averaging 8.2 points on 16 minutes per game this season. Both Clarke and Tillie have become options for the Grizzlies at center as well with Xavier Tillman out after he entered protocols on Jan. 30
The Grizzlies are 23-14 and are currently the fourth place team in the western conference. They look to keep their winning streak alive in a road contest against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
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