Five Michigan State basketball players who must elevate their game in 2022-23

EAST LANSING, Mich. — It has been an offseason filled with storylines for Michigan State’s basketball program. Seniors Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. decided to turn pro. A coaching seat on Tom Izzo’s bench opened up last month when longtime assistant Dwayne Stephens accepted the head coaching job at Western Michigan. Projected starter Julius Marble transferred to Texas A&M to be closer to his family. And most recently, we learned the fate of Max Christie — the player viewed by many as a future NBA pro. Turns out, the future is now.

This offseason has been more about departures than arrivals, and that doesn’t seem like it will change anytime soon. While Michigan State evaluated some targets in the transfer portal, a source told The Athletic earlier this week that the Spartans likely would move forward with their current roster and rely on internal growth. Izzo echoed those sentiments to The Lansing State Journal.

If that’s the direction Izzo and Michigan State have chosen, it means there’s a level of confidence in the internal options already on the roster. It fits Izzo’s mindset of player development and his belief that process still matters. But Michigan State now will head into the 2022-23 season relying on improvement across the board. Young players will need to mature quickly. Role players will need to step into the spotlight. Opportunities will be there.

So, then, who will make the most of it all? Here are a few options:

Senior forward Malik Hall

At times last season, Malik Hall looked like Michigan State’s best player, ready for a breakout. He shot 51.5 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from deep, recording career highs in points (8.9) and rebounds (4.6) per game. A month-long stretch between January and February saw Hall score double figures in six of eight games — averaging 12 points per game during that span. But Hall would hit double figures just twice in MSU’s final 12 games (5.7 ppg). That includes two total points in MSU’s two NCAA Tournament games.

So which Hall will show up in 2022-23? More will be expected of him, that’s for sure. He’s a captain and a veteran on a team that doesn’t have many. Maybe we see more of him at the three to account for some of the minutes left behind by Brown and Christie. That could allow MSU to play Hall and Joey Hauser together. MSU had an offensive rating of 121.4 in 165 minutes when those two were on the court together (108.6 overall).

Hall is an integral part of this team, but consistency has eluded him up to this point. Maybe this is the year he puts it all together. Michigan State needs him to.

Senior guard Tyson Walker

It was an interesting first year in East Lansing for Tyson Walker, a transfer from Northeastern, mainly because of the time it took him to adjust to what was asked of him. Scoring was his calling card at Northeastern, and he did it well. He put up close to 19 points per game and was aggressive in looking for his shot. But Walker wasn’t the same player at Michigan State. There are a few ways to view that.

Given MSU’s point guard situation in 2020-21, it was clear the team needed someone who could get others involved. Walker viewed that as his primary role, and it showed. He formed a solid 1-2 punch with AJ Hoggard in the backcourt. Walker often passed up looks to make the extra pass or get a teammate involved. In the process, it became apparent that Walker is one of the few players on the team with the ability to create his own shot from just about anywhere on the court. He shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range. Late in the year, he emerged as MSU’s closer. But before that, he clearly was trying to balance when to get his own points and when to spread the wealth.

Now that he has a year in the system and a year at this level, Walker will need to continue making strides. That means looking for his shot more. It means shooting more 3s, after seeing his attempts dip from 5.9 to 3.2. It could involve playing the two more often with Christie off to the NBA, as we saw down the stretch this past season. If Walker has another level in him, and it feels like he does, it’s time to see it.

Freshman forward Jaxon Kohler

Of the three incoming freshmen who will soon join Izzo’s program, expect Kohler to make an immediate impact. Ranked No. 52 overall in the 2022 class, Kohler hails from Utah with plenty of game-ready offensive skill. Given MSU’s frontcourt situation, we likely won’t have to wait long to see it.

Kohler is an excellent shooting big with great touch and footwork in the paint. He has good size at 6-foot-9 and should be able to space the floor as a stretch big, but he’s also a strong passer with a knack for finding open teammates. Here’s what The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote about Kohler when he committed: “Kohler is a total offensive throwback right now, albeit with a burgeoning perimeter game. He’s an undersized big man at 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, but he makes up for it with absolutely elite skill. The big man out of Utah has tremendous footwork in the paint, and has a case as the best post scorer in the 2022 recruiting class. He can score over either shoulder, with both his right and left hands. Hook shots, drop steps, anything you need on the block, he’s got it because he has great touch. He’s physical and uses his frame exceedingly well as a rebounder, carving out space and high-pointing the ball. That touch I mentioned, too? He’s started to stretch out his range beyond the college 3-point line and I’d bet on him turning into a spacing big at some point at both the 4 and the 5 spots. He’s going to score and grab rebounds.”

That’s high praise for an incoming freshman, but those traits make Kohler a prime candidate for big minutes as a true freshman — even if his defense trails his offensive game. He should have plenty of opportunities on this team.

With Max Christie moving on to the NBA, Jaden Akins should see his role increase this season. (Bob Donnan / USA Today)

Junior center Mady Sissoko

Michigan State has not added a center from the portal, and by the looks of things, it doesn’t plan to. There are plenty of available minutes following Bingham’s decision to turn pro and Marble entering the portal. Of all the frontcourt options on this team, Mady Sissoko is the only true center.

Sissoko comes with a solid prospect pedigree. He was ranked No. 41 overall in the 2020 class. At 6-9 with a 7-4 wingspan, Sissoko has the tools to help this team. When he was a high school prospect, Michigan State coaches fell in love with his background, his work ethic, his length and how he runs the floor and rebounds. But he has averaged just 4.9 minutes per game through his first two seasons in East Lansing and hasn’t looked the part of a Big Ten center.

If no other moves are made, Sissoko is due for a massive uptick in minutes. It would serve as another example of Izzo betting that he and his staff can get the most out of the roster. It seems like Sissoko will have a chance to prove some people wrong. What he does with it remains to be seen.

Sophomore guard Jaden Akins

Perhaps no player was more directly impacted by the Christie news than Jaden Akins — a 6-3 combo guard with plenty of untapped potential. Already expected to see his minutes increase as a sophomore, Akins now finds himself thrust into the spotlight. His role as a freshman was primarily to spell Christie at the two, or allow him to slide over to the three in place of Brown. But with both players now pursuing professional careers, Akins will be called upon to give this team some juice.

Akins did all the little things for Michigan State as a true freshman. He’s the best athlete on the team. He was a willing defender, he was active on the floor, and he was one of the best rebounders on the team regardless of size. It didn’t always show up in the box score, but he brought a spark off the bench seemingly every time he took the floor. Even before the season, Izzo knew what he had in Akins.

“Sometimes you get surprised by guys,” Izzo said in September. “Most of the time, the surprise is that the guy isn’t as good as you thought he’d be. Sometimes you get a guy who ends up better than you thought he’d be. In all honesty, he’s (Akins) better than even we thought he’d be, so that’s been a pleasant surprise.”

Akins is still a work in progress, but he flashed every tool in his kit last year. He has a chance to take a leap in Year 2. It’ll be fascinating to see what he does for an encore.

(Top photo of Malik Hall: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)