Michigan State Basketball: Xavier Tillman drawing first-round projections

Who would have thought after a quiet freshman season with Michigan State basketball that Xavier Tillman would eventually be a first-round talent?

When Xavier Tillman came to Michigan State as a freshman, he was a little out of shape and had the look of a four-year player who Spartan fans would eventually fall in love with.

As a freshman, he averaged just about eight minutes which resulted in 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He was a spark off the bench but he wasn’t quite ready to jump into the rotation as the Spartans were absolutely loaded in the post.

Then, as a sophomore, things changed. He changed his body type from slightly out of shape to chiseled and put in a ton of work over the summer to become a solid contributor for the 2018-19 team. He did just that and saw his numbers triple, in most cases.

Tillman’s minutes per game tripled to 24, he went from 2.8 points to 10.0 points per game and averaged 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

Heck, he even won the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award, backing up Nick Ward for the majority of the season. But the last month of the regular season and the NCAA Tournament seemingly changed his life for good.

Ward went down with a broken hand against Ohio State and Tillman filled in as a starter, improve on all of his averages. He looked like a dominant big who could score from the post or even the perimeter and his athleticism was felt on defense. He became one of the most consistent players on the team and even held his starting spot when Ward returned.

After a strong NCAA Tournament performance where he helped lead the Spartans to a Final Four, people were wondering if Tillman would be a two-and-done player. He never really thought that way, stating he’d be back for his junior year.

But he’s no longer looking like a typical Tom Izzo four-year player. In fact, this might be his last season in East Lansing, especially if he takes a look at some recent NBA mock drafts — including this one by CBS which pegs him as a first-rounder.

It’s amazing how quickly Tillman has developed from an end of the bench player to one of the top sixth men in the nation to a solid starter and now a first-round projection. Enjoy this kid while you can, Spartan fans, he may be gone soon.