Malik Newman has less than a week to make the biggest decision of his life.
Stay or go?
That is the question facing the Mississippi State guard.
Thanks to an NCAA rule change this season, underclassmen are allowed to declare early for the NBA draft, go through the evaluation process and then choose to go pro or return to school (if they haven’t signed with an agent).
That’s what Newman did last week as he attended NBA Draft Combine. Out of the 60 combine participants, Newman was one of the 15 who went without hiring an agent. He has until Wednesday to declare for the draft or return to MSU for his sophomore season.
Newman, a consensus five-star signee out of Callaway, has said from the beginning of this process that if he didn’t get a first-round grade, he was coming back to play for the Bulldogs.
Well, he is still projected as a second-rounder at best. There are no guarantees he will even get drafted.
So, why is Newman waiting to the last minute to make his announcement? My guess he already had his mind made up before his freshman season ended in Starkville.
He was recruited by Ben Howland as a one-and-done player, and that’s what he is going to be — regardless of whether it’s in his best overall interest or not.
NBA draft experts agree his best move is to return to MSU to improve his game. He has shown some flashes of becoming an outstanding 3-point shooter, but he struggled a lot this season with his half-court decision making.
Newman finished just fourth on a weak MSU team in points per game and was an ineffective scorer inside the arc, hitting fewer two-pointers (50) than threes (61). In fact, he had the worst two-point percentage (40.7) of any Mississippi State player.
He needs another a year to get stronger so he can finish at the rim like he needs to.
To be fair, the former McDonald’s All-American did have a tough time with injuries. He wasn’t able to find a rhythm after missing some preseason practice and the season opener with turf toe and later had to deal with back spasms and a knee injury.
If he can’t stay healthy in college, how in the heck will he survive an 82-game schedule in the NBA, where things are much more physical than what he is used to. Another year of college strength training can help there too.
At 6-3, Newman lacks the size of a traditional NBA two-guard, and let’s forget this talk about making him a point guard. That makes no sense; it’s like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. He is a shooting guard at the next level even if he is a little short for that position at the next level.
Also, if Newman returns to State he will become a much bigger part of the offense next season. Center Gavin Ware and guard Craig Sword, Mississippi State’s two leading scorers last season, are gone.
That puts Newman in line to be one of the Bulldogs’ primary offensive options. He and fellow sophomore Quindarry Weatherpoon would be quite a combination this season for the Bulldogs.
I am sure Howland would love to see those two on the court together again for one more season. I am guessing Howland has a pretty good idea what Newman will do, but the rest of us will have to wait a little longer.
