Michigan State forward Malik Hall could come back this season according to Tom Izzo

East Lansing, Mich. – There is increasing hope that Michigan State forward Malik Hall will return to the playing rotation this season, according to Spartan basketball coach Tom Izzo, who expressed optimism on Hall’s prognosis during a press briefing on Tuesday.

On Friday during Michigan State’s loss at Illinois, Hall suffered a setback to a stress reaction injury which caused him to miss eight games earlier in the season. Hall missed Monday’s 64-63 loss to Purdue at Breslin Center. Earlier in the weekend, there were strong indications that he would likely miss the rest of the season. But that’s not the prognosis, as of now.

“As of today, there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Izzo said prior to practice on Tuesday afternoon. “We thought the tunnel was closed. But the specialist has come up with something that seems to think it’s healing fine. It’s just not all the way there yet. And maybe he tweaked it like Jaden Akins did.

“As I said to my team in the early-morning meeting (today), and to Malik, at least the door is open. The door was locked two days ago, to be honest with you. And the door is open. What that means, I don’t. I really don’t. But it’s a more positive sign than it was.”

Izzo said multiple tests have been done, sometimes with conflicting information. But the latest information is better that previous information.

“The crack that I think they maybe thought that they saw is more or less the healing process,” Izzo said. “Malik also had a broken big toe earlier in his career and there is scar tissue in there. 

“I try to stay out of the medical side of it, but I do believe he has a chance to play. Is it in a week? I doubt it. In two weeks? Maybe. In three weeks? Possibly. And then you restart the whole process.”

Izzo was much more upbeat than he was Monday evening after the Purdue game.

“Whatever I can get out of (Hall), as long as it’s not in any way detrimental to his health, which we’ve been guaranteed it’s not, it’s a positive,” Izzo said. “I am so confused by medicine right now. The only thing that confuses me more than medicine is politics, and the only thing that confuses me more than politics is Twitter, and the only thing that confuses me more than politics and Twitter is the NCAA.”

Hall, a senior with eligibility to return next season, has played in nine of Michigan State’s 18 games this year, and started the first four. He is averaging 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was expected to be one of the top two players on the team this year and one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten.

At 6-foot-8, Hall is the most versatile player on the Michigan State roster. As a defender, Hall can guard one through five. On offense, Hall can play two through five. Beyond his overall utility as a basketball player, Hall is also Michigan State’s most experienced player and fills a key leadership role.

“Malik has a calmness on the floor,” Izzo said on Monday during his pre-game radio show on Monday. “When he is on the floor there is just a settling effect. That is not going to be there. That’s a veteran, that’s a good player that has really come a long way, yet we have to move on and see what we can do.”

With Hall out, Michigan State has limited options for a replacement. Sophomore wing Pierre Brooks Jr. is the player that Michigan State needs to step up in Hall’s absence. Brooks has played a handful of solid games for Michigan State this season, and he appeared to be making substantial progress during first month of the season, while Hall and Jaden Akins were sidelined by foot injuries.

In recent games, however, Brooks appears to have taken a step backward. Brooks has been a defensive liability. He played just seven minutes in a back-to-back games against Illinois and Wisconsin.

Brooks played 11 minutes against Purdue on Monday, but struggled on defense. If Brooks is unable to play functional defense, the Spartans could opt to elevate walk-on Jason Whitens in the playing rotation. Whitens is not a scorer, but has shown himself capable of playing functional defense and contributing as a rebounder.

Bottom line, Michigan State needs Hall back to be the best version of itself.