Tom Izzo praises Malik Hall for what he brings to the team

Malik Hall has been on a tear lately and Tom Izzo has taken notice. He praised the senior forward for his contributions.

Malik Hall is on an impressive mini-run these last two games. In the wins over Indiana State and Penn State, Hall is averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. All three of those numbers are way above his season average this year, showing just how impressive he has been recently.

Tom Izzo has noticed Hall’s increase in play and discussed what he brings to the team in his postgame press conference.

Tom Izzo discusses Malik Hall’s impact

In Michigan State’s dominant 92-61 win over Penn State, Hall finished with a career-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Izzo was asked after the game about what it means when Malik hits shots early, but he expanded on his game and said, “He’s (Malik) kind of everything he’s inside, he’s outside, he’s versatile. He made some great post moves, he made some dribbles in there he made a couple of threes.“

Izzo summed it up simply and perfectly a little later by saying that, “The versatility, that was phenomenal.”

That is exactly what Hall can bring to this team: versatility. Hall has one of the purest mid-range jump shots on this team. His baseline fadeaway jumper feels like it always goes in as well. He’s also becoming a threat from 3-point range, even if his shot from there looks a little funky. He’s shooting 75 percent from deep over the last two games which is extremely impressive.

However, maybe the best thing he brings to the team right now is his ability to score in the post. So far this season, Hall has been our only true threat in the post. That will change when Jaxon Kohler returns soon, but his presence down low will still be valuable to this team.

Malik Hall talks about his value

Malik Hall even expanded upon his own game in the post-game press conference as well. He talked about his versatility, especially in the post, and how that helps out his teammates.

”When you’re worried about me in the post and then you want to think about doubling guys like AJ, Tyson, Jaden, and Tre who is spotting up, it makes it hard to defend.”

That’s why having him as a threat down low has been huge as we wait for Kohler to return. Teams have to honor what Hall can do in the post. When they do that it opens up more cutting lanes and space to shoot for our guards. This helps the offense run more smoothly and not be so dependent on the guards making plays.

A confident Malik Hall raises the ceiling of this team exponentially. I doubt he’ll keep this level of scoring up all season, but if he becomes a 14-point-per-game scorer then this Michigan State team will be tough to beat.