As Xavier Tillman won an NBA title Monday night, the recruit he once welcomed on a visit to Michigan State watched from across the country, just beginning his own professional basketball career.
On Tuesday, Malik Hall worked out for the Golden State Warriors, his eighth workout as an NBA team, with two more to go before next week’s NBA Draft.
“Honestly, I almost texted Xavier a couple days ago,” Hall said after his workout with the Warriors. “I consider myself very close to him, I admire him a little. So I was very excited to see him (Monday) night, just seeing all the pictures of him, his family and his kids… I’m very happy for him. He deserves it.”
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Hall’s NBA path is more unlikely than Tillman’s four years ago. Hall hopes to catch the attention of an NBA team in training and, if he is not selected, receive an invitation to the NBA Summer League. He sounds realistic, but also grateful for this experience, whatever it brings.
“I like to see many different cities. And I like being able to see what different programs are like,” Hall said. “I mean, when we were kids, this is what we all dreamed of. We all dreamed of being in this position. So to be here and be able to have the experience, whether I do well or not, is a really great time and fun.”
Hall said he will head to Phoenix next to train with the Suns, owned by MSU mega-donor and basketball alum Mat Ishbia, before finishing his training circuit in Oklahoma City with the Thunder.
Hall, a 6-foot-8 forward who is undersized for his position in the professional game, will have to beat the odds to find a spot on an NBA roster. More realistically, he is destined to have a good career abroad. But he also knows there are guys of similar size and skill who have been stuck in the NBA.
“I mean, the three that I think are a little bit like me in different ways: Aaron Gordon (Nuggets), PJ Washington (Mavericks), a little bit of Draymond (Green) (of the Warriors),” said Hall, who averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and made 32.8% of his 3-point attempts as a fifth-year senior at MSU, “guys who are really versatile and maybe a little bit smaller at their position. But they’re just capable of doing a lot of different things.”
So far, the positive feedback he has received has been about being a jack of all trades. The area he needs to work on: his shot.
“I mean, that’s something I knew before I even started the process, something I’m going to continue to work on throughout my career in general,” Hall said of his outside shot. “But well (the comments), just my versatility, being able to do a lot of different things, marking a lot of different people. Being able to handle the ball, being able to pass, things like that are usually the good things I hear.”
The NBA draft will be next Wednesday and Thursday night. The NBA Summer League begins July 12 in Las Vegas.
FURTHER: Couch: 3 Quick Looks at MSU Football Recruiting, Jonathan Smith’s First Season and Saddi Washington’s Hiring
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
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