If Jaxon Kohler comes back, the biggest loser in the rotation may be Ethan Taylor.
That’s the tradeoff for Michigan State: adding Kohler would be the biggest move of the offseason, even if the end result is simply keeping him in the program instead of watching him walk away. But a return like that doesn’t just strengthen the roster. It changes the math for everyone else.
Some Spartans would clearly gain from having Kohler back. Jeremy Fears Jr. would get a familiar, trustworthy presence alongside him.
Anton Bonke would still have a role, though he’d lose some of the attention that comes with being one of the newer big men in the mix. Taylor, though, is in a different spot entirely.
He was brought in as a high school recruit to help replace the departures of Carson Cooper and Kohler, the two major roster issues Tom Izzo had to sort through this offseason. But Kohler’s return would make Taylor’s path much tougher.
He already faced long odds to start as a rookie, since Izzo rarely throws freshmen into that role right away. Now, he’d be looking at a roster where his clearest opening disappears.
With Kohler and Bonke together, Taylor would likely be waiting for one of them to leave the floor before he could carve out real minutes. Short of something unexpected, like an injury, that opportunity would be hard to find.
Still, the bigger picture favors Michigan State. Kohler back in the fold gives the Spartans a stronger shot at chasing a national championship, and it also gives Taylor something valuable: time to learn behind veterans who already know the college game. That could pay off later.
When Kohler is gone for good, Taylor should be better prepared to step into a bigger role. This season might be short on minutes for him, but it could be the kind of year that sharpens his game for what comes next.
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It also lands in a way Michigan State fans probably wont enjoy, since the Spartans sit on the other end of the spectrum as the Big Tens oldest roster. Oddsmakers still have USC among the more attractive bets to win the conference, which only adds to the intrigue around how quickly all that young talent can translate. The real question now is whether the Trojans age profile becomes a strength sooner than expected, or whether the Big Tens grind exposes the growing pains that usually come with it. [Read more 🡒]