Best- and worst-case scenarios for Michigan State basketball for 2024-25

Free Press sports writer Chris Solari examines the best- and worst-case scenarios for Michigan State basketball heading into the 2024-25 season:

Best case scenario

In his 30th season as head coach of the Spartans, Tom Izzo wants nothing more than for Jeremy Fears Jr. to become everything his redshirt freshman point guard promised before he arrived: tough, tough, athletic. A scorer, a creator, a defender. Especially the type of leader Izzo has been looking for for a quarter century, since Mateen Cleaves led him to his only national title in 2000.

The hope is that as the head moves, the body will follow the snake. To do that, Fears will have to turn his two perimeter teammates, seniors Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler, into the alpha scorers Izzo believes they can be. Akins slips into his natural shooting guard position and can fill it with a quick shot while defending and rebounding, at least sometimes at an elite level, which is what MSU has asked of Akins every night this season. Izzo used the transfer portal to get Fidler from Nebraska-Omaha, and he needs the 6-foot-7 winger to be a three-level scorer who can use his toughness and ability to penetrate off the dribble to the Free throw to get to line frequently.

Up front, the Spartans need former five-star recruit Xavier Booker to develop into a star and capitalize on his talent and potential at the forward position. The 6-11 sophomore showed flashes toward the end of last season, but he still needs to do a lot more — scoring outside and inside, attacking the glass, blocking shots and defending — for the team to thrive. Booker also needs his other interior teammates to take another step, be it Jaxon Kohler with his high-scoring presence up front, Carson Cooper with his defensive positioning, or transfer Szymon Zapala with his sturdy 7-foot frame and the potential to be a rebounding force to be . In the best case scenario, Izzo is assigned a complementary force to each.

Off the bench, another strong leader – combo guard Tre Holloman – can also be a spark plug on both ends, scoring outside or creating for others. The electric Coen Carr can dunk with anyone in the country, but Izzo needs the sophomore to be an aggressive rebounder and garbage-main in the paint with his high-flying, springy legs. And freshman guards Jase Richardson and Kur Teng are emerging early as emerging shooters who can add momentum to the offense.

It all adds up to the type of team Izzo loves, a tough group that reflects his personality. A healthy fear combined with Izzo's leadership and the players around him should help MSU stay in the upper echelon of the Big Ten and make at least an NCAA Tournament appearance in the second weekend, with anything possible after that.

Worst case scenario

The biggest question will be how Fears' left leg responds to the weekly strain of high-level competition. The second-year Spartan has missed the last 11 months following his shot. That he returned to the court so quickly over the summer is a testament to his work ethic and physical gifts, but the rigors of daily training with the wear and tear of long car rides and 20 to 25 minutes per game could make Izzo change his mind reconsider load management under the special circumstances.

Akins' second straight year of struggling with outside shooting is concerning. Izzo talked about the pressure the senior puts on himself, and Akins can't fall victim to hazing if the shots don't fall again and allow it to affect his defense and rebounding like he did a year ago has.

The same goes for Booker, who struggled with the physicality of college basketball at the start of last winter and saw little time on the court until the end of February. His defense needs to improve dramatically. But if Booker doesn't make outside shots and fails to get a rebound, as happened in two exhibition games, Izzo could look for other options or lineup combinations.

Another big concern is whether Fidler can handle the transition from being the big fish at the bottom of Division I to nightly elite competition in Big Ten waters. The same goes for Zapala, whose role could be shaped by how he can adapt to regularly encountering bodies of the same size.

Kohler must take the next step in his development after an injury halted his early 2023-24 season as he is MSU's most experienced post player. If Izzo can't get that out of him, it's going to be another long year trying to figure out how to get inside scoring.

And if Izzo doesn't figure out how to fit all of his new and postponed pieces by January — especially with the expanded Big Ten — more mediocre months could follow, jeopardizing his record streak of 26 consecutive NCAA appearances.

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

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Best- and worst-case scenarios for Michigan State basketball for 2024-25

Best case scenario

Worst case scenario

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