Big Ten Basketball: Updated 2021-22 preseason rankings after NBA Draft decisions

Only one player entered the NBA Draft for the Spartans this offseason. And that was Aaron Henry, who led the team in points (15.4 ppg), rebounds (5.6 rpg), and assists (3.6 apg) and was the lone double-digit scorer on the roster for the overall underachieving team.

But don’t expect a Tom Izzo-led squad to two years in a row of struggles. While guards Rocket Watts and Foster Loyer transferred out, Michigan State got one of the top transfer point guards this offseason in Tyson Walker. He averaged over 18 ppg and nearly five assists last season at Northeastern, while also winning CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Walker will lead a revamped backcourt featuring three freshmen perimeter players ranked in the top-60 overall. That includes five-star shooting guard Max Christie, who’ll be the natural replacement for Joshua Langford. Gabe Brown will likely be elevated to the starting lineup at the wing, potentially a breakout candidate now that Henry is gone.

The frontcourt has brought back everyone outside of Thomas Kithier, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on how you view them. Marquette transfer was second on the team last season with 9.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg but compared to his brother Sam at Virginia, failed to live up to expectations after sitting out a season.

There will be pressure on all of the big men to step up, including former top-40 center prospect Mady Sissoko and forwards Malik Hall and Marcus Bingham Jr. But if Hauser doesn’t look like an all-conference talented along with the newcomer Walker in the backcourt, things could go wrong quickly for this Spartan roster.