Let's hear your thoughts!!!
As we are now a few weeks into 2025 with a decent sample size of analyzing this year's Spartans roster, let's do something a little bit different and fun for this column.
While the Michigan State men's basketball program may not necessarily be on par with some other blue blood programs in terms of NBA output, head coach Tom Izzo has consistently maximized the pro potential of those who choose to stick around in East Lansing and has put his fair share of players into the professional ranks.
Now, let's take a deeper dive into what I personally think could be a realistic projection of how far many of the current Spartans from the 2024-2025 roster can go beyond East Lansing.
Guard Jase Richardson
As a true freshman, Richardson’s early season rise has maybe come as a surprise for many with how quickly he’s been able to adapt to the college game. Maybe that was silly on us, as he is possibly the most ready out of any Spartan to play at the next level.
The son of former Spartan great Jason Richardson, Jase doesn’t pop off the screen with his athleticism or physical prowess like his dad, but he does just about everything at a high level. His poise as a first-year player is impressive.
Offensively, he can score at all three levels but has been most efficient around the rim. Richardson is also efficient running the point and seeing the floor as there's a certain level of comfort you have watching him when the ball is in his hands that is rare for a freshman.
On defense, he’s pesky on the ball and his thick frame won’t allow taller guards to overpower him. Even as a smaller guard in today's NBA with limited explosiveness, Richardson has a plus wingspan to disrupt passing lanes and moves his feet well laterally to stay in front on defense.
It’s unrealistic at this point to know how long Richardson will stick around East Lansing, and it is certainly possible he returns for his sophomore season, but fans should enjoy the time they have with him now. A solid showing as conference play continues and in the NCAA Tournament could propel his stock in what is generally thought to be a weaker 2025 NBA Draft class at the guard position. To me, he has the highest professional ceiling of any current Spartan based on what we've seen so far.
Forward Xavier Booker:
Talent-wise, Booker oozes NBA potential more than anyone on this team —it’s what made him one of Izzo’s highest touted recruits ever. Physically, he's also worked on his body over the past offseason, and now at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, the sophomore big man has ideal size to succeed professionally
What’s been harder to measure so far with Booker at MSU has been his willingness to do some of the “dirty work” that come as a prerequisite to big men at the next level.
Maybe his best and most transferable skill comes outside of the arc as a shooter, but Booker is shooting just 22% from 3-point range this season after shooting 33.3% from deep as a true freshman last year. He often likes to camp out around the 3-point range for stretches of games. However, Booker has also flashed his ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays.
Inside the paint, he sometimes looks lost and will miss assignments on box outs and on defense. Sometimes it feels like a 6-foot-4 guard is trapped inside a nearly 7-foot behemoth. With that in mind, Booker has also made several highlight-reel plays around the time, including as an alley-oop finisher/dunker. When he is firing on all cylinders, he is hard to stop.
This season, Booker had a slow start, followed by a four-game stretch of double-digit scoring performances in late November and early December of 2024. However, Booker has failed to reach double-figures in the Spartans' last seven games, and he has not grabbed more than four rebounds in that stretch either.
If anyone can button up a big man to become more well-rounded with the time he has with them, it’s Izzo. Booker’s ceiling remains high given his natural abilities, but there’s plenty of work to do and he may just end up becoming a four-year player - which is fine. By all accounts, Booker trusts Izzo and staff to develop him.
Forward Coen Carr
There may not be a more explosive player when he leaves his feet at any level of basketball than Carr. Even as fans and pundits have come to expect at least one highlight-reel play from Carr every game, they don’t get old.
What’s made Carr’s pro potential more intriguing this season has been his ability to become more of a threat offensively. Last year in his limited action, Carr was used perhaps more of a momentum-changer than real rotational player in the Spartans' offense. Hustle, effort and the ability to jump out of the gym and slam dunk the ball were things that were always there for Carr. However, the lack of shooting and shot creation, along with some struggles on defense, limited what Izzo was able to do with him as a true freshman.
This year during the 2024-2025 campaign, it’s clear that Carr had made significant strides in becoming a more well-rounded player with the ball in hands. The sophomore is averaging 8.4 points per game on 59% shooting from the field, and has been much more aggressive getting to the rim. Additionally, Carr has improved his free-throw shooting percentage from 56% last season to 68% this season. And although his outside shot is still a work in progress, Carr has made three of his six shot attempts from 3-point range this year. His vertical jump also makes him a threat on the glass on both ends and when it comes to blocking shots, and he impacts the game that way.
He'll still need to take another leap on defense to maximize his athletic traits on that end of the floor and become more of a disrupter. And although he's made strides this season as a corner shooter and ball handler, those may be things that determine his ceiling at the next level. Not many 6-foot-6 players can survive in the NBA without having those attributes on offense, but Carr’s athleticism may just give him a chance. While he is even more athletic, Carr has some similarities to Branden Dawson, who was a second round NBA draft pick in 2015.
Guard Jaden Akins
For me, Akins is more of a wild card than any player on the roster in terms of projecting him at the next level. You could tell me he’ll be a solid rotational player on an NBA team or that he’ll be playing overseas by this time next year, and I would believe both.
Akins leads MSU in scoring this season with 13.9 points per game, and has been a strong senior leader on and off the court for the Spartans.
The senior guard has been a good scorer this season at all three levels and is a great athlete for his size. His 3-point shooting has been steady over his career and he should improve more this year with higher volume. Akins is shooting just 29.9% from deep in 2024-2025, but has shot 36.6% from there over 115 career games.
His height at 6-foot-4 would be considered undersized for today’s shooting guards/wings in the NBA, which is the position he plays at MSU. It’s hard to sustain a career at that level without being able to do something at an elite level (i.e., shooting or defense). He’s a very good defender, but would likely struggle to defend larger guards or wings in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out with Akins. A strong finish to his senior year showcasing versatility could go a long way in his draft stock, but I think he'll be playing basketball for a long time after this season ends, regardless of where exactly that is at.
Forward/Center Jaxon Kohler
Six months ago, the thought of Kohler playing at a high-end professional level may have been more of a pipe-dream given how his first two seasons at MSU have played out. A highly-ranked recruit out of high school, the Utah native dealt with injuries that limited much needed game-action for development. Now, Kohler is in the midst of a breakout year in 2024-2025.
Kohler’s best attribute when he arrived in East Lansing was on offense, specifically on the block as a crafty finisher around the rim. This season, he’s transformed his body to bang in the paint, and currently leads the team in rebounding (7.9 per game) and double-doubles (four). Kohler is working on becoming more of a shooting threat, which may till take some more time to develop, as he is shooting just 20% on 25 shots from beyond the arc this year.
It certainly does seem like Kohler has the heart and attitude to play basketball beyond college, but he’ll need to continue to become more versatile in order to sustain a professional career. Kohler can play power forward or center, but he is limited as an athlete. The 6-foot-9 Kohler will likely have to guard taller players at the next level, and offensively, he will need to rely on his strong footwork and bag of skills to have success beyond college.
Point Guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
Fears' playing style is currently built for the college game and he could end up being one of the more special point guards that Izzo has coached — that is saying a lot.
Projecting the redshirt freshman at the next level is an interesting proposition, given his strengths right now and what he's shown so far this season after coming back from a season-ending injury due to a gun shot wound to the leg during the 2023-2024 campaign. Shooting and creating for himself offensively have been the biggest question mark so far in his young career and will be what scouts at the next level will look for in their evaluation.
As a playmaker and floor general, there is no doubt that Fears has what it takes to run a team as a point guard at the professional level. He currently leads the Spartans with 6.4 assists per game and has improved steadily as a scorer throughout this season, showing more of an ability to make shots at all three levels. The jump shot will need to be more consistent in larger volume, as he's taken just 14 3-point attempts attempts this year, but he has made six of those to shoot an impressive 42.9% from deep.
Fears' intangibles as a leader are arguably his best trait and it's easy to bet on him to improve his skills to get to the next level, given the time and resources he has in East Lansing. From here, he will only get better, and perhaps could eventually work his way into the NBA.
Center Szymon Zapala
Zapala's decision to transfer to Michigan State this past offseason came with a spotlight he's never had before after starting his career at Utah State and then transferring to Longwood University in 2023. Considering the impact he's made for the Spartans this season, it's hard to believe he didn't make more noise for a mid-major last year, averaging just 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 16.7 minutes per contest.
This year for the Spartans, he is averaging 5.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 67.7% from the field, but a lot of his contributions to the game are things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He has solidified the center spot for Michigan State, which has been a position that has struggled over the past few seasons.
Standing 7-feet tall and weighing in at 245 pounds, the Polish native can be a physical force at time in the paint and has shown really good flashes defensively this season. While limited as a scorer and athlete, Zapala continues to find ways to impact the game when he's on the floor, even often times playing with another big man next to him.
It would be surprising if Zapala didn't at least land a gig overseas when his collegiate days are done, especially considering he has a European background.
done, especially considering he has a European background.
Guard Tre Holloman and Forward Frankie Fidler
After seeing the success of former Spartans like Bryn Forbes or Xavier Tillman in the NBA, I won't count anyone out from making an impact at the next level coming from this program. But it's now harder than ever before to make it there with the game's global reach and superior athletes entering the league from all over the world.
Holloman has improved immensely on the offensive end and is a pesky defender, but he also may be limited as a scorer at the next level. At just 6-foot-2, Holloman's height may also be an issue at the next level, but he is lengthy and makes an impact in multiple ways. He's also been one of the Spartans best shooters from beyond the arc this year at 31% on 68 attempts.
Fidler —like Zapala — will have more of a spotlight on him this year to showcase his abilities to play beyond MSU. Lack of elite shooting this year (although he's been solid in the past) and athleticism, along with struggles on defense, could limit his ceiling at surviving the next level, but he does enough other things to have a shot at playing professional ball somewhere. After a slow start to the year Fidler is currently shooting just 39.7% from the field and just 20% from 3-point range. Fidler has shown a lot more confidence as of late, and exploded for a season-high 18 points against Penn State on Wednesday night. He actually declared for the NBA Draft last year before withdrawing, so a professional career for him is definitely possible, but he will need to show more.
As we are now a few weeks into 2025 with a decent sample size of analyzing this year's Spartans roster, let's do something a little bit different and fun for this column.
While the Michigan State men's basketball program may not necessarily be on par with some other blue blood programs in terms of NBA output, head coach Tom Izzo has consistently maximized the pro potential of those who choose to stick around in East Lansing and has put his fair share of players into the professional ranks.
Now, let's take a deeper dive into what I personally think could be a realistic projection of how far many of the current Spartans from the 2024-2025 roster can go beyond East Lansing.
NBA starter:
Guard Jase Richardson
As a true freshman, Richardson’s early season rise has maybe come as a surprise for many with how quickly he’s been able to adapt to the college game. Maybe that was silly on us, as he is possibly the most ready out of any Spartan to play at the next level.
The son of former Spartan great Jason Richardson, Jase doesn’t pop off the screen with his athleticism or physical prowess like his dad, but he does just about everything at a high level. His poise as a first-year player is impressive.
Offensively, he can score at all three levels but has been most efficient around the rim. Richardson is also efficient running the point and seeing the floor as there's a certain level of comfort you have watching him when the ball is in his hands that is rare for a freshman.
On defense, he’s pesky on the ball and his thick frame won’t allow taller guards to overpower him. Even as a smaller guard in today's NBA with limited explosiveness, Richardson has a plus wingspan to disrupt passing lanes and moves his feet well laterally to stay in front on defense.
It’s unrealistic at this point to know how long Richardson will stick around East Lansing, and it is certainly possible he returns for his sophomore season, but fans should enjoy the time they have with him now. A solid showing as conference play continues and in the NCAA Tournament could propel his stock in what is generally thought to be a weaker 2025 NBA Draft class at the guard position. To me, he has the highest professional ceiling of any current Spartan based on what we've seen so far.
NBA rotational player/Fringe NBA:
Forward Xavier Booker:
Talent-wise, Booker oozes NBA potential more than anyone on this team —it’s what made him one of Izzo’s highest touted recruits ever. Physically, he's also worked on his body over the past offseason, and now at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, the sophomore big man has ideal size to succeed professionally
What’s been harder to measure so far with Booker at MSU has been his willingness to do some of the “dirty work” that come as a prerequisite to big men at the next level.
Maybe his best and most transferable skill comes outside of the arc as a shooter, but Booker is shooting just 22% from 3-point range this season after shooting 33.3% from deep as a true freshman last year. He often likes to camp out around the 3-point range for stretches of games. However, Booker has also flashed his ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays.
Inside the paint, he sometimes looks lost and will miss assignments on box outs and on defense. Sometimes it feels like a 6-foot-4 guard is trapped inside a nearly 7-foot behemoth. With that in mind, Booker has also made several highlight-reel plays around the time, including as an alley-oop finisher/dunker. When he is firing on all cylinders, he is hard to stop.
This season, Booker had a slow start, followed by a four-game stretch of double-digit scoring performances in late November and early December of 2024. However, Booker has failed to reach double-figures in the Spartans' last seven games, and he has not grabbed more than four rebounds in that stretch either.
If anyone can button up a big man to become more well-rounded with the time he has with them, it’s Izzo. Booker’s ceiling remains high given his natural abilities, but there’s plenty of work to do and he may just end up becoming a four-year player - which is fine. By all accounts, Booker trusts Izzo and staff to develop him.
Forward Coen Carr
There may not be a more explosive player when he leaves his feet at any level of basketball than Carr. Even as fans and pundits have come to expect at least one highlight-reel play from Carr every game, they don’t get old.
What’s made Carr’s pro potential more intriguing this season has been his ability to become more of a threat offensively. Last year in his limited action, Carr was used perhaps more of a momentum-changer than real rotational player in the Spartans' offense. Hustle, effort and the ability to jump out of the gym and slam dunk the ball were things that were always there for Carr. However, the lack of shooting and shot creation, along with some struggles on defense, limited what Izzo was able to do with him as a true freshman.
This year during the 2024-2025 campaign, it’s clear that Carr had made significant strides in becoming a more well-rounded player with the ball in hands. The sophomore is averaging 8.4 points per game on 59% shooting from the field, and has been much more aggressive getting to the rim. Additionally, Carr has improved his free-throw shooting percentage from 56% last season to 68% this season. And although his outside shot is still a work in progress, Carr has made three of his six shot attempts from 3-point range this year. His vertical jump also makes him a threat on the glass on both ends and when it comes to blocking shots, and he impacts the game that way.
He'll still need to take another leap on defense to maximize his athletic traits on that end of the floor and become more of a disrupter. And although he's made strides this season as a corner shooter and ball handler, those may be things that determine his ceiling at the next level. Not many 6-foot-6 players can survive in the NBA without having those attributes on offense, but Carr’s athleticism may just give him a chance. While he is even more athletic, Carr has some similarities to Branden Dawson, who was a second round NBA draft pick in 2015.
Fringe NBA/G-league
Guard Jaden Akins
For me, Akins is more of a wild card than any player on the roster in terms of projecting him at the next level. You could tell me he’ll be a solid rotational player on an NBA team or that he’ll be playing overseas by this time next year, and I would believe both.
Akins leads MSU in scoring this season with 13.9 points per game, and has been a strong senior leader on and off the court for the Spartans.
The senior guard has been a good scorer this season at all three levels and is a great athlete for his size. His 3-point shooting has been steady over his career and he should improve more this year with higher volume. Akins is shooting just 29.9% from deep in 2024-2025, but has shot 36.6% from there over 115 career games.
His height at 6-foot-4 would be considered undersized for today’s shooting guards/wings in the NBA, which is the position he plays at MSU. It’s hard to sustain a career at that level without being able to do something at an elite level (i.e., shooting or defense). He’s a very good defender, but would likely struggle to defend larger guards or wings in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out with Akins. A strong finish to his senior year showcasing versatility could go a long way in his draft stock, but I think he'll be playing basketball for a long time after this season ends, regardless of where exactly that is at.
G-league/overseas:
Forward/Center Jaxon Kohler
Six months ago, the thought of Kohler playing at a high-end professional level may have been more of a pipe-dream given how his first two seasons at MSU have played out. A highly-ranked recruit out of high school, the Utah native dealt with injuries that limited much needed game-action for development. Now, Kohler is in the midst of a breakout year in 2024-2025.
Kohler’s best attribute when he arrived in East Lansing was on offense, specifically on the block as a crafty finisher around the rim. This season, he’s transformed his body to bang in the paint, and currently leads the team in rebounding (7.9 per game) and double-doubles (four). Kohler is working on becoming more of a shooting threat, which may till take some more time to develop, as he is shooting just 20% on 25 shots from beyond the arc this year.
It certainly does seem like Kohler has the heart and attitude to play basketball beyond college, but he’ll need to continue to become more versatile in order to sustain a professional career. Kohler can play power forward or center, but he is limited as an athlete. The 6-foot-9 Kohler will likely have to guard taller players at the next level, and offensively, he will need to rely on his strong footwork and bag of skills to have success beyond college.
Point Guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
Fears' playing style is currently built for the college game and he could end up being one of the more special point guards that Izzo has coached — that is saying a lot.
Projecting the redshirt freshman at the next level is an interesting proposition, given his strengths right now and what he's shown so far this season after coming back from a season-ending injury due to a gun shot wound to the leg during the 2023-2024 campaign. Shooting and creating for himself offensively have been the biggest question mark so far in his young career and will be what scouts at the next level will look for in their evaluation.
As a playmaker and floor general, there is no doubt that Fears has what it takes to run a team as a point guard at the professional level. He currently leads the Spartans with 6.4 assists per game and has improved steadily as a scorer throughout this season, showing more of an ability to make shots at all three levels. The jump shot will need to be more consistent in larger volume, as he's taken just 14 3-point attempts attempts this year, but he has made six of those to shoot an impressive 42.9% from deep.
Fears' intangibles as a leader are arguably his best trait and it's easy to bet on him to improve his skills to get to the next level, given the time and resources he has in East Lansing. From here, he will only get better, and perhaps could eventually work his way into the NBA.
Center Szymon Zapala
Zapala's decision to transfer to Michigan State this past offseason came with a spotlight he's never had before after starting his career at Utah State and then transferring to Longwood University in 2023. Considering the impact he's made for the Spartans this season, it's hard to believe he didn't make more noise for a mid-major last year, averaging just 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 16.7 minutes per contest.
This year for the Spartans, he is averaging 5.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 67.7% from the field, but a lot of his contributions to the game are things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He has solidified the center spot for Michigan State, which has been a position that has struggled over the past few seasons.
Standing 7-feet tall and weighing in at 245 pounds, the Polish native can be a physical force at time in the paint and has shown really good flashes defensively this season. While limited as a scorer and athlete, Zapala continues to find ways to impact the game when he's on the floor, even often times playing with another big man next to him.
It would be surprising if Zapala didn't at least land a gig overseas when his collegiate days are done, especially considering he has a European background.
done, especially considering he has a European background.
Long shots:
Guard Tre Holloman and Forward Frankie Fidler
After seeing the success of former Spartans like Bryn Forbes or Xavier Tillman in the NBA, I won't count anyone out from making an impact at the next level coming from this program. But it's now harder than ever before to make it there with the game's global reach and superior athletes entering the league from all over the world.
Holloman has improved immensely on the offensive end and is a pesky defender, but he also may be limited as a scorer at the next level. At just 6-foot-2, Holloman's height may also be an issue at the next level, but he is lengthy and makes an impact in multiple ways. He's also been one of the Spartans best shooters from beyond the arc this year at 31% on 68 attempts.
Fidler —like Zapala — will have more of a spotlight on him this year to showcase his abilities to play beyond MSU. Lack of elite shooting this year (although he's been solid in the past) and athleticism, along with struggles on defense, could limit his ceiling at surviving the next level, but he does enough other things to have a shot at playing professional ball somewhere. After a slow start to the year Fidler is currently shooting just 39.7% from the field and just 20% from 3-point range. Fidler has shown a lot more confidence as of late, and exploded for a season-high 18 points against Penn State on Wednesday night. He actually declared for the NBA Draft last year before withdrawing, so a professional career for him is definitely possible, but he will need to show more.
