Michigan State Basketball: Pros and cons of Xavier Tillman’s NBA Draft decision
Cons of Xavier Tillman remaining at Michigan State
But is improving on a three-point shot worth it for Tillman not to get paid professionally? That’s something that can be improved on by players in the offseason with hard work and effort, something this player has shown in the past three years in East Lansing. And considering how effective the forward is in the paint, head coach Tom Izzo may not want to change his gameplan and have Tillman on the perimeter too much.
There’s also the argument that the Spartan forward doesn’t have much room to grow. He already played 32 mpg last season and will have to split the frontcourt duties with Joey Hauser, a Marquette transfer who averaged 9.5 and 5.3 rpg as a freshman. He shot 43% from three-point range that year so, in a perfect world, Hauser would stretch the floor and Tillman would stay inside in the paint. That may not be the best for the veteran’s draft stock.
Then there’s the unfortunate reality that there might not be a college basketball season. That’s why players such as Tillman have waited so long to even make a potential decision. It may not have a major effect on his draft stock but it also plays into the biggest factor, being a father.
For those who may not know, Xavier Tillman is both a husband and father to two beautiful children, with his youngest born in February. The 21-year old could go pro, get drafted in October, and as a top-45 pick, would get guaranteed money. If he truly doesn’t feel that it’s worth it to come back to Michigan State, Tillman could just go pro, get paid, and move on to take complete care of his family.
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Regardless of what he does, Tillman has earned and put himself into a position to succeed, whether on the college or national stage. For Michigan State’s Big Ten/Final Four hopes, they’ll need the quality frontcourt player to come back for one more year. But with everything going on, there truly isn’t a right or wrong decision in this circumstance. No matter what he decides, it’ll have a major impact on the upcoming season.