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Michigan State Basketball: Xavier Tillman’s success will pay recruiting dividends

By Connor Muldowney

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 13: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends against Xavier Tillman #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the third quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Grizzlies defeated the Timberwolves 118-107. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 13: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends against Xavier Tillman #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the third quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Grizzlies defeated the Timberwolves 118-107. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Xavier Tillman’s NBA breakout is going to pay major dividends for Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball recruiting for years.

When Xavier Tillman came to Michigan State, he was an out-of-shape big man who showed flashes at the high school level, but he was more of a raw player than anything else.

Tillman joined a two-man recruiting class with Jaren Jackson Jr. and he was overshadowed by his fellow freshman who was dubbed a “unicorn” and decided to choose the one-and-done route, getting drafted in the lottery after that 2017-18 season by the Memphis Grizzlies. Tillman was looked at as a guy who would be a starter in a couple of years, but was far behind Jackson Jr. in terms of NBA talent.

There was no way Tillman would be following Jackson Jr.’s footsteps shortly after, right? I mean, Jaren was a five-star prospect, ranked one of the best bigs in the entire 2017 class while Tillman was ranked the No. 112 overall prospect and 25th-best power forward.

But it didn’t take long for Tom Izzo and Dwayne Stephens to work their magic on him. Her shred the bad weight almost immediately, going from 280 pounds and a little pudgy as a recruit to 245 pounds and shredded. He looked like a completely different player as a sophomore and kind of followed the Draymond Green career arc.

Just like Draymond, Tillman broke out in his final couple of seasons at Michigan State and prided himself on defense. In fact, he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20. He also turned himself into a more complete all-around player.

And also like Draymond, he fell in the NBA draft out of the first round where he was projected and into the early second round. He got a chance to rejoin his former teammate and good friend Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis and he’s been a stud as a rookie.

Michigan State fans aren’t surprised by his sudden breakout, but they do realize that the rise in his stock in the NBA is only going to pay dividends for Izzo on the recruiting trail.

If he can turn a fringe top-100 recruit and out-of-shape big man into a three-and-done player who is drafted into the NBA and earns first-round grades, impressing as a rookie, imagine what he can do with top-50 prospects (like a Mady Sissoko).

After a quiet start to the year, Tillman is averaging 13 points, five rebounds, 2.7 steals and two assists over his past three games. He also recorded the game-winning defensive stop against the 76ers which caught everyone’s attention.

Tillman is slowly molding into Draymond 2.0 with an even better offensive game and it’s forcing NBA teams to realize that Izzo and his staff know how to prepare guys for the league.

Expect more blue-chip big men to take a serious look at the Spartans for years.

Next. Way-too-early depth chart projection for 2021. dark

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