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Rob Dauster of NBC Sports has been covering the 2020 NBA Draft and recently released a list of the 16 NBA draft stay-or-go decisions that will shape the 2020-21 college basketball season. Dauster ranks Xavier Tillman No. 2 on this list behind another Big Ten big man in Iowa’s Luka Garza.
Dauster recognizes the talent on the 2020-21 MSU basketball and the potential return of Aaron Henry but says without Tillman this is all “window dressing”.
Here is what Dauster had to say about Tillman’s decision:
I would draft Tillman in the late first round if I was an NBA team. I think he’s the best two-way big man available in this year’s draft and a player that can impact an NBA game today. He’s already married. He had his second child in February. He’s mature and carries himself as a professional as it is. The smart financial decision here would probably be to enter the draft.
That said, he may be a guy that can improve his draft spot by being the focal point offensively. He’s also said that he will not be leaving campus without a guaranteed contract, and for some reasons, there are questions about whether or not he can get one. The way that Michigan State has set him and his family up on campus is wonderful, and he has a really good thing going while sitting a year away from a college degree.
At this point, I think Tillman is a legitimate 50-50 decision.
The key here is Dauster’s hypothetical decision making as an NBA GM. He says he would draft Tillman in the late first-round which very much lines up with nearly any and all mock drafts we cover. Personally, I would be shocked if Xavier Tillman returns to East Lansing next year.
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