Michigan State Basketball: Preview of Spartans 2019-20 season
By Ryan Kay
The Starting Five
Cassius Winston
Position: Point Guard
Year: 4th Year Senior
He is considered the top contender for national player of the year. He also was forced to play a ton of minutes last season due to there not being a viable backup. He will not have that same issue this season as the Spartans are stacked at the guard positions. He is a very underrated outside shooter and has excellent court vision which allows him to find the open player in transition or he is able to get a good look for a shot himself. His three-point shooting will be more noticeable as he looks to put up more attempts from beyond three-point range this season.
The general consensus is that with him returning for his senior season Michigan State, he will be the consensus preseason #1 entering next season. He can do it all and his defense has improved every season and he is a good defender and not a liability on defense. His leadership, his ability to make those around him better, and he arguably is the best point guard at Michigan State since Magic Johnson raises expectations of a national championship for next season for the Spartans.
Aaron Henry
Position: Small Forward
Year: Sophomore
As a true freshman last season, Henry improved greatly and showed great maturity with a great second half to the season. As stated previously, he was put into the starting lineup due to the season-ending injury to Joshua Langford. Henry’s defense was outstanding for most of the season and he displayed tremendous athleticism on both ends of the floor which allowed him to remain in the starting lineup. He displayed moments of great offensive production as he showed during Michigan State’s Sweet Sixteen victory over LSU. There were even reports after the season that he may declare for the NBA draft but he quickly stated that he was coming back for his sophomore season.
He will start the season as the third-best player on Michigan State’s team for the beginning of the season as Langford is not 100% to what he was prior to being injured. He has exceeded expectations as he was not a highly rated high school recruit entering into his 2nd year in East Lansing.. If he progresses as expected and continues to improve his offense especially from beyond the arc, he could be at minimum a 2nd team All-Big Ten selection this year. He will be a key part in Michigan State’s plan to win a national title in 2020.
Xavier Tillman
Position: Power Forward
Year: Junior
Arguably the second most important Spartan for this upcoming season, Tillman became a full-time starter when Nick Ward was injured during the home game against Ohio State last season. The most impressive thing Tillman displayed last season as a big man was his foot movement during on ball screens where he did an excellent job on switching and defending guards on the perimeter. He anchored the back-end of the defense and showed leadership skills even as a sophomore. Tillman isn’t the tallest and most physically imposing big man on the floor at times but he is what you would want from a power forward in this style of basketball being played at this time.
Offensively, he has been very steady and productive. He also has shown flashes of making shots outside of the paint and he is showing off his intelligence whereas he finds the open spot near the basket where Winston can distribute the ball for an easy basket. This season Tillman looks to average around 15 points a game and show off his hard work that he has put in during the offseason.
Joshua Langford
Position: Shooting Guard
Year: Senior
The expectation is that he will be near 100% of what he was production-wise last season, until December. People tend to forget how productive Langford was prior to getting injured and technically, he ended up being the second-leading scorer for the Spartans last season. Michigan State hopes he will be back to the second-leading scorer type of player he was last season by the start of Big Ten play.
The ultimate goal is for him to develop into a Gary Harris type of player that he can play to his strengths of coming off of ball screens and making those mid-range jumpers as well as be a consistent three-point threat. Winston and Langford can arguably be the best backcourt in the Big Ten as long as both players stay healthy. If Langford can be a near lockdown defender and he is averaging 18 points or more by seasons end, the sky is the limit for him and the Spartans for 2020.
Marcus Bingham Jr.
Position: Center
Year: Sophomore
A recent twitter post showed Bingham in the same practice jersey as the other starters as they are poised for a picture with Spartan great Magic Johnson. He to start the season gets the nod over Thomas Kithier due to his size, athleticism, and higher ceiling. No disrespect to Kither, but Bingham is taller and more athletic and he will be looked to step up against the growing trend of taller and more athletic big men in division 1 basketball.
A 7-4 wingspan and just under 7 feet tall, he has the ability to shoot from the outside and can be a very productive shot blocker this season. He had a full off-season to add muscle and work on his defense and Izzo and his coaching staff look to see a much improve Bingham this season. Bingham has the perfect opportunity to see the largest increase of playing time than anyone on the Spartan roster. Along with Brown, you can easily see Izzo and his coaching staff expecting to see much more playing time and production this season.
However, the starters are not the only ones that will help guide the Michigan State Spartans to a potential national championship. Look for the bench to help in the pursuit of a national title in 2020.