Malik Hall gets major praise from Big Ten analyst (Video)

Malik Hall is one of the most important players on Michigan State and one Big Ten analyst had some high praise for him.

Michigan State basketball is (thankfully) right around the corner. Big Ten analyst Andy Katz has been releasing his top players in the conference for this season and Malik Hall was included on Wednesday.

Katz ranked Malik as the 19th best player in the conference and had this to say about him.

If @MSU_Basketball gets back to the Final Four, @iammalikhall will have played a big role.

He's No. 19 on @TheAndyKatz's 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝘇 𝟮𝟮 Player Rankings: pic.twitter.com/zn7asA0OHv

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 18, 2023

Praise for Malik Hall

Based on this video from Katz, it’s no secret how important he thinks Hall is to this team.

Obviously Hall is a very good player, but that’s not where Andy’s focus went in this video. Katz discussed how Malik’s veteran presence will play a huge role for the Spartans this season. This is his fifth season at Michigan State, and Malik has seen it all during his time in East Lansing.

Hall has been through the highs and the lows during his tenure at Michigan State.

As a freshman, he was a part of the last Big Ten title team in 2020. Hall got to witness what it takes to lead a team of that caliber playing with guys like Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman. He’s also been a part of some below average teams and has learned how to avoid having those seasons again. His experience on and off the court will be massively important this season if we want to accomplish our goals.

Malik Hall on the court

As Katz mentioned, Hall will be a big part of this team both on and off the court. He is coming off his senior season that saw him average 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 23 games played. He was the perfect spark plug off the bench last year as Michigan State’s sixth man. It’s yet to be seen if he will be a starter or not, but Hall has proven that he doesn’t need to be a starter to be a major contributor for MSU.

I believe Malik Hall is ready to take the next step this season.

Last year he missed about a third of the season due to injury and I think that held him back from his full potential. If he can stay healthy this year, I think he can average double figures this season.

Katz said it best: If this Michigan State team makes the Final Four, a lot of it will be because of Malik Hall. He may not be our most gifted player or most prolific scorer, but I’d argue he is our best leader. Don’t get me wrong, he is a top-tier player, but what he brings in experience is just as important.

The Spartans are going to rely on the underclassmen and incoming freshman class a lot this year. If we want to win championships, that group is going to need to provide solid depth that we desperately missed last season. Having a guy like Malik Hall to be a player that can coach those guys up and help them get ready for the tough schedule ahead is exactly what any championship minded team needs.