NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2021-22 season

The lone double-digit scorer of the team is very likely gone in Aaron Henry (15.4 ppg and 3.6 apg) but outside of Rocket Watts and Joshua Langford, the rest of the roster will be coming back. Whether that’s a good thing or not remains to be seen, but head coach Tom Izzo never has back-to-back bad seasons with the Spartans.

What helps is that Michigan State will have a true point guard to lead the way next season in Tyson Walker, a transfer commit from Northeastern that averaged 18.8 ppg and 4.8 apg this past season. It hurts to lose Watts in the process but the Spartans need a proven ball-handler to maximize the offense.

Walker will be surrounded by a batch of talented freshmen guards, including Pierre Brooks, Jaden Akins, and top-30 shooting guard prospect Max Christie. He’s the key, as his shooting and scoring will determine how good of an offense this team has.

There’s plenty of depth on the frontcourt but not a lot of production. Joey Hauser was second on the team this past season with 9.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg compared to previous expectations, was a disappointment. With the right guard play, maybe his shooting numbers will get closer to his Marquette days.

Joining Hauser will be Gabe Brown, Malik Hall, Marcus Bingham, Julius Marble, and both Mady Sissoko and Thomas Kithier. They likely won’t be able to add a transfer due to who’s already on the roster but the hope is that Sissoko, a former top-30 center prospect can take a major leap and give them a true inside presence.