Malachi Palmer saw little early in his first season at Villanova.
Palmer transferred from Maryland when Kevin Willard became the Wildcats’ head coach. After a mid-season lull, Palmer was given a bigger opportunity and made the most of it. Come March, guard play is very important, and while Villanova is in good position with help from Tyler Perkins and Bryce Lindsay, Akaden Lewis dominates the game and Devin Askew comes off the bench but can never have much help.
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With that being said, can Palmer be a wild card for Villanova?
“That’s why I wanted him here,” Willard said after Wednesday’s win over Seton Hall. “We saw that start to develop a lot last year. He worked hard, practiced well. He came in, defended well, and I thought he played really well.”
Palmer has played more than 23 minutes in four of the past six games. He’s been great on defense this season, but he’s starting to show his prowess on offense as well – especially from three-point range. Over the past six games, Palmer is 8-for-17 from 3-point range. That included a career-high 15 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range against Seton Hall.
Palmer also grabbed six rebounds against Seton Hall. He had two steals in 12 minutes against Providence last Friday. Palmer brings tremendous size and length to the defense, and that showed as the season went on. After training with him all year, Palmer’s teammates weren’t surprised.
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“He’s one of the best players we’ve had in practice,” Perkins said of his teammate. “He’s been giving us a spark and I was excited to see his shooting today. He’s on both sides of the ball, honestly. He’s one of our more physical players and knows how to use his body.”
Villanova is a program known for its guard play. This year’s version of the Wildcats has a lot of backcourt players to play with. If Palmer can add his name to the bench, Villanova will be much deeper heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“I’ve been making a conscious effort to support my teammates and do whatever it takes to win,” Palmer said. “Defense, doing all the little things. I knew the offense was coming.”