Shawn Phillips Jr. only played 7.4 minutes a game last year as a true freshman at LSU. Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley brought him in as a backup, thinking Phillips could develop while playing behind veteran Warren Washington, and to a degree, Duke Brennan.

A day after Phillips committed to ASU, Washington entered the transfer portal, eventually landing at Texas Tech. Brennan followed a week later. That means more has been asked of the 7-footer, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, but played in the Phoenix area for a season at Dream City Christian.

Phillips and the Sun Devils (13-13, 7-8) are back at home for a pair of Pac-12 games this week at Desert Financial Arena. They will take on Washington (14-12, 6-9) at 7 p.m. Thursday and then No. 21 Washington State (20-6, 11-4) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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Phillips came to ASU with three years of eligibility left. He has a 7-foot-4 wingspan and great leaping ability. With some time in the weight room during the offseason, there is potential for him to emerge as a dominant defender before his time in Tempe is up. Hurley envisions him as a player he can build around.

At 19, Phillips is the youngest player on the squad.

"His development is important to the program," Hurley said. "All the best teams I have had here had an inside presence, and yes, we have had good guards but we've also had guys to throw the ball to in Warren Washington and Romello White and we really haven't had that outside of trying to get the ball to Jose (Perez)."

Getting more run for ASU Basketball

Phillips has played in 18 games, starting seven. Playing time is key to his development. He saw little time last season and his progress was delayed when he sustained a foot injury three games into the season. He returned to action for the Pac-12 opener at Stanford, scoring six points and blocking two shots in 11 minutes.

He's averaging 13.4 minutes per game, a little less than the coaching staff hoped for. There has also been the occasional foul trouble.

"I don't remember exactly what I did when it got hurt," he said. "I didn't feel it in the game because I had so much adrenaline going but then when I woke up the next day I could barely walk. I knew right then something wasn't quite right."

Phillips admitted the foot injury that sidelined him for eight games took a toll on him mentally. He had a familiar sounding board though in guard Adam Miller, with whom he played last year at LSU. The two didn't necessarily talk about transferring to ASU together although it eventually worked out that way.

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Miller had some mental struggles of his own early on. He needed a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible, which was originally denied, only to have that negated when the NCAA relented and let two-time transfers play right away.

"He told me to keep my head up and keep doing what I could do even when I wasn't playing," Phillips said of the advice he got from his teammate. "He really encouraged me and that meant a lot because I knew he went through a lot too."

There was a stretch of games in which he scored in double figures. Most notable was the home game against Cal in which he registered 13 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.

Developing in spite of tall tasks on the court

Hurley noted earlier this season that Phillips also had a tall order in front of him with the conference boasting so many quality inside players; Adem Bona of UCLA, Oumar Ballo of Arizona and N'Faly Dante of Oregon to name a few. All have considerable bulk to go along with height, which makes them tough matchups for the lanky Phillips.

"I'm so proud of him," Miller said. "The player he was last year and the one he is now, he's made huge strides —much better physically and mentality. Last year I saw the potential. When he got a chance to shine last year he did it, although it may not have shown up in the stat sheet every time. And the more he plays, the better he is going to get."

Phillips said he had no doubt Arizona State was the right fit for him. He committed to North Carolina State out of high school but ended up at LSU. When it came time to choose another destination after a bad season and a coaching change in Baton Rouge, ASU was a great option and was facilitated by the relationship he established with Hurley's lead assistant Jermaine Kimbrough.

"He (Kimbrough) came to see me in high school, so we already had a connection," Phillips said. "Coming out of the portal I had an idea he was a guy I could trust, a guy who believed me. Then I came out here and talked to Coach Hurley and the whole staff and I saw a love and his caring. That's what I was chasing coming out of the transfer portal."

Hurley sees Phillips as a complementary piece, particularly once he takes the next step in his development. Alonzo Gaffney is one of the taller Sun Devils at 6-9 but he doesn't necessarily play in the paint. The closest thing ASU has to that right now is the 6-5 Jose Perez who carries some bulk and can back a defender down. The coach definitely sees Phillips as a bigger factor moving forward, with his presence requiring the attention of the opposing team.

"Having Shawn as a true interior presence if he can consistently produce for us if we get him the ball around the basket is going to be big," Hurley said. "It's easier to play inside out sometimes and Jose helps in that regard because he can back his man inside some and draw attention, draw a double team, kick to a teammate and then that helps. But if you have a bigger guy like Shawn that really is athletic around the basket and can energize what you're trying to do offensively, and then he's a willing passer too, now some guys are stepping into better shots."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: LSU transfer Shawn Phillips' development on pace at Arizona State