Michigan State's Jaden Akins overcomes shooting slump with great senior debut

EAST LANSING — Maybe Jaden Akins was just waiting for the games to become official.

The Michigan State senior guard overcame preseason shooting woes with an impressive performance in Monday's 81-57 ​​win over Monmouth at the Breslin Center.

Akins scored a career-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in a complete game on both ends of the floor to lead the Spartans.

“It was big,” Akins said. “Exhibition is a pre-season so it didn't count and I felt like my approach to those games could have been better, but now we're in the real season and I feel like I have a better attitude towards things have.”

Michigan State lost its top three scorers from last season and Akins is expected to take over the top spot on a team with a lot of moving parts. Early results during a three-game trip to Spain in August were not encouraging, followed by a 3-for-17 mark from the floor, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range, in exhibition wins against Northern Michigan and Ferris condition.

“One of our biggest fears was the way Jaden shot and played,” coach Tom Izzo said, “and Jaden looked every bit like the senior he was supposed to be, and he was.”

On Monday, Akins needed all of four seconds to match the field goal total he made last week against Ferris State. The Spartans won the jump ball and he went up for a two-handed slam after a free throw line lob from point guard Jeremy Fears, securing the first points of the night.

It was a goal to get Akins involved on the first possession and he kept getting to the rim. Despite making just one of four 3-point attempts, Akins was 7 of 8 from inside the arc, while Michigan State finished 3 of 18 as a team beyond that.

“We complained about his running on the break and he swore he would do better,” Izzo said, “and he did better.”

Longtime Monmouth coach King Rice is among those who have not addressed Akins' difficulty hitting shots in exhibition games. He pointed to the performances of the last three seasons and saw that talent shine on Monday.

“I don't think this young man gets the credit he deserves because he was fantastic,” Rice said, noting that Akins was too quick for them to catch on the wing. “I enjoy watching young guys who can really play basketball, and this kid can play basketball.”

Michigan State built an early double-digit lead that lasted until halftime before Monmouth made things a little uncomfortable. The Hawks pulled within six points early in the second half, but Akins scored nine straight goals for the Spartans and that all but ended the threat.

“I think it was good for us to just be able to take the hit they gave,” Akins said, “and be able to respond and finish the game.”

Despite falling just short of double-digit rebounds, Akins shot 6 of 7 from the line after attempting just 23 free throws all of last season. The aggressiveness that filled the lane and got to the rim resulted in a 23-point haul that more than tripled his points total in both exhibition games combined.

“This is exactly what we need from Jaden,” said freshman guard Jase Richardson, who scored 10 points off the bench. “He's a senior on this team, he's one of the leaders on this team, so when he makes a play like that it really helps us and it really benefits us when he shoots the ball the way he shot.”