Sometimes there’s a potential NBA draft pick who appears so genuinely nice and humble you can’t help but pull for him to realize his dream.

Malcolm Thomas is exactly that type of player.

"I appreciate everything that happens to me," Thomas told HOOPSWORLD at the recent combine held in Chicago.  "I feel like everything’s just a part of a story, part of my story, and I just thank God for everything."

Thomas had a hard time believing these events, that could potentially lead him to the NBA, were unfolding before him.  After all, it was his fellow San Diego State teammate, Kawhi Leonard, who was the shoo-in for a combine invite, not him.

"When I got the call from my mother, I was like ‘I’m going to Chicago?’

"I was like ‘what?’" he continued laughing.  "This is kind of a dream come true, too.  I’ve watched this for years, and to be here, it’s like an amazing feeling."

Conceding that he is not a player with strong name recognition (notwithstanding an unfortunate jaywalking arrest incident last year), Thomas attended the combine ready to impress.

"You know, not being as known as everybody else, I was kinda trying to work harder than everyone else," said Thomas.  "And not worry about missed shots or anything.  Just work hard and try to outplay everyone."

With Thomas’ list of achievements in the game, one wonders why he hasn’t been noticed:

• He was selected to play in the Reese’s College All-Star game held in April; in this event, teams are made up of the top outstanding college seniors across the nation.
• Thomas’ play was critical in SDSU’s record 34-3 season.  He ranked second, after Leonard, in scoring and rebounding (11.4 ppg/8.1 rpg) with an incredible 75 regular-season blocks.
• He was a Second-Team All-Mountain West selection and named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team for the 2010-11 season.
• In the recent Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, he seriously turned heads with his ability to finish around the rim, along with his sound court vision and nose for the ball.

His 6’8" size makes him a tweener in the NBA, but his 7’2" wingspan allows him to play taller.  Utilized as a power forward, sometimes center, at SDSU, Thomas sees himself playing the "three/four, depending on which team" in the NBA.

"I feel like either way, I’m gonna be just the energy guy, the defensive guy, which I don’t have a problem doing.

"But I kinda don’t really care where I play, I’m just ready to play," he said with a type of laugh and look that tells you he feels humbled just to have this chance.

Thomas’ defense/shot-blocking and passing skills in the post are impressively solid, and he recognizes those areas which need improvement; the consensus deficit is his jump shot.

"I’ve been working on my shot a lot, and I’m going to continue working on it," Thomas said.  "It’s not where I want it to be yet, so I’m gonna just keep working."

Reliable free-throw shooting is also a concern, but he did increase his percentage from .527 in 2009-10 to .642 in 2010-11.  He attributes the improvement to his new ritual of reciting the names of the primary women in his life (his mother, sister, and daughter) before hoisting the ball.

Yes, 22-year-old Thomas is a father.  Nothing like having a child to accelerate the maturation process and teach you patience, both of which Thomas has demonstrated of late.

Basketball runs in his family.  His father was a 1985 sixth-round draft pick who failed to stick, and his cousin is former NBA player Tyronn Lue.

Thomas was a late-blooming star at Crawford High School in San Diego.  Following stints at Pepperdine University and San Diego College (where he led in multiple categories, even earning conference co-MVP honors), he wisely reversed a decision made at that point to try his luck in the NBA.  He finally landed at SDSU for his final two collegiate years.
 
San Diego State’s 2010-11 season was full of firsts.  They won their first-ever Division I NCAA postseason game, thereby advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament, and their 34-3 record was the best in the program’s 90-year history.  In fact, the school ranked in the AP Top-25 poll all season long.

{AUTHOR_BOX}At the combine, Thomas agreed the Aztecs’ NCAA tournament run certainly helped with his personal branding.  He didn’t hesitate to point out the importance of having such a talented teammate in Leonard.

"I feel like it (the tournament run) helped a lot.  Having a teammate that was such a high-caliber player helped me a lot, too.  I thought I got to show what I can do inside, and now I’m trying to show what I can do outside.  Mix it in, the both.  I feel like it helped me a lot."

Thomas was grateful to have Leonard there with him.  Only ten Division I schools had multiple players participating at the combine.

"He was my roommate in San Diego; he’s my roommate here.  It makes this experience way better and much easier," said the soft-spoken player.

Most mock drafts project a late second-round pick for Thomas.  He’s been busy already with reports indicating recent workouts for Miami, San Antonio, Chicago, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Indiana, New Orleans and Washington.  He was also part of the New Jersey Nets’ draft workout held in early May where he made a favorable impression on scouts and executives.

Thomas is the type of player that brings more to a team than the numbers reflected on the box score.  Not only does he contribute in ways that can’t always be measured on the floor, he has a hard-working attitude and desire to improve that’s not always evident in draft hopefuls.

His college coach, Steve Fisher, said this after Thomas took the blame for a loss to BYU: "That’s why I love Malcolm so much, because he’s not afraid to bare his soul to anybody.  He’ll sometimes, to a fault, want to accept responsibility.   That’s why he has a chance to be really good, because he’s willing to reveal his blemishes and work on them and get better."

Fisher sums it up well; hopefully teams take notice.