Ranking the 7 options for class of 2022 and top-10 prospect F Kijani Wright

Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans looked lost for a good part of the 2020 season, due to inefficiencies in both the frontcourt and backcourt. The maturation of the team’s younger players following the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman has not materialized as quickly as head coach Tom Izzo would have desired. This has particularly been the case in the frontcourt where the collective quartet of Joey Hauser, Malik Hall, Julius Marble, and Marcus Bingham contributed only 22.2 PPG.

The urge for Izzo to find that next piece to anchor the paint is likely high on his list of issues to shore up this offseason. The 2021 class does not currently have any frontcourt depth being added to the fold and the team will hope that one of their current players can take a big productive step forward for the program. Mady Sissoko will be one to watch in this regard and represents the strongest similarity to what Michigan State is trying to acquire with Kijani Wright.

Michigan State found more success with dominant bigs down low – not necessarily for the sake of scoring, but for defensive and rebounding purposes. The scoring aspect was a bonus given the reliability of the team’s backcourt and ability to spread the ball around the floor.

With Wright in the fold, the Spartans can expect to add a frontcourt piece capable of controlling the paint, while also scoring in a bevy of ways. His defensive dominance and ferocity on the glass are aspects this program needs, but finding another scoring threat is just as important for elevating the program back to consistent success.