Michigan State basketball just came off one of their best seasons in recent memory, winning their first Big Ten Championship since the days of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman before going on to make the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Spartans lost multiple key players this summer, with Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, and Tre Holloman all moving on.
Now, Tom Izzo and his staff will need to answer a lot of questions this summer and next season. We outlined five questions that his staff will need to tackle, among others, if they want to sustain the success we saw last year:
1. Will Jeremy Fears Jr. become a double-digit per game scorer?
Jeremy Fears Jr. is the classic Tom Izzo point guard. He defends, he gets out and runs in transition every chance he gets, and he’s ostensibly a pass-first player. That was perfect last year, but now, MSU will need to replace their top two scorers last year, and I think for this team to replace that production, Fears will need to average double-digits in scoring.
Fears is kind of a mystery box at this point. He missed most of his first year after being shot in the leg. That also cost him a summer of development. We know that he has not looked very comfortable shooting the ball thus far in his career, but could that change with a full summer of training under his belt for the first time as a college player? If not, there are other ways to become more of a scoring threat, and he will need to find a few weapons on that end to keep defenses honest.
2. Is Coen Carr a legitimate two-way star?
The development of Coen Carr was possibly the biggest storyline of last season for the Spartans. Carr went from being a rotation player to being arguably the best player on the team. The biggest development last year was on the defensive end, where Carr seemed to finally unlock his athleticism and how to use it to frustrate some of the top scorers in the country. The next step he will look to take is on the offensive end. He has shown some skill as a driver, which could be where his offense comes from next year, but what would really throw gas on the fire is if he can develop himself into a reliable three-point shooter. If he can even get to about 35-percent from three, I am expecting him to be a lottery pick next year, he’s just that good.
3. How ready is Cam Ward?
When I wrote an article about which players on this year’s roster have the most NBA potential, I had Cam Ward all the way at No. 2, just behind Coen Carr. Now, will he show that potential this year? We have no idea, but it’s one of the most interesting questions going into the season. In another article where I tried to project the rotation for next year, I hypothesized that Cam Ward will end up getting minutes this year. I think his talent will be too undeniable to keep on the bench. But how ready will he be? Will we just see him get a few minutes here or there when MSU has a sizable lead? Or, will he be someone who helps actually drive winning? We should start to hear some whispers about how he’s doing soon.
4. Does Jaxon Kohler have another leap in him?
Jaxon Kohler was sneakily the Spartans’ second-best three-point shooter last year, hitting 37.3-percent of his shots from distance. That’s a very encouraging sign, because MSU has seemed insistent on playing Kohler, who is a bit of a ‘tweener’, at the four spot instead of at center. If he’s going to remain in that role, he will need to keep hitting those shots. Kohler jumped all the way from two points per game in 2023-24 to just under eight points per game in 2024-25. Does he have another leap in him? Or, will he lose some ground to the aforementioned Cam Ward and incoming transfer Kaleb Glenn? Like Fears, the Spartans really need to get double-digit scoring out of that position to replace what they are losing, and Kohler, as an offensive-minded big, theoretically should be able to increase his production.
5. Will this team be able to match last year’s defensive output?
Last year, in my opinion, we saw one of Tom Izzo’s best defensive teams ever. We saw them shut down multiple teams and they were in the top-50 for scoring defense. However, MSU is losing some of their best defenders in Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman. Even Jase Richardson was a positive on that end as well. Tom Izzo is replacing them with Kaleb Glenn and Trey Fort, and Glenn has not been known for his defensive acumen. They are also losing Szymon Zapala and those minutes should go to Jesse McCulloch, a player who recently converted to center. I personally think the defense will take a step back this year, but you just hope it’s not a major step back if they want to try and make another deep run.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Five questions for Michigan State basketball heading into next season