Jordan Scott is walking into his sophomore season at Michigan State with a far different feel than the one he had as a freshman. He has a starting job, more responsibility and, according to Tom Izzo, the kind of reliability coaches love to lean on.
Izzo didn’t hold back in his assessment of the 6-foot-8 wing, praising both the pace he plays with and the attention to detail that has stood out to him.
“He plays as hard, as consistently and is as efficient as any player I’ve had in a long, long time," Izzo said. "He makes very few mistakes.”
That kind of trust matters in East Lansing, especially on an Izzo team where earning minutes is one thing and keeping them deep into the season is another. Scott has already gone through that kind of pressure test early in his career. Since 2020-21, only three freshmen have played more than 20 minutes per game in a season: Scott at 20.8 minutes per game and two current NBA players, Max Christie at 30.8 minutes per game in 2021-22 and Jase Richardson at 25.3 minutes per game in 2024-25.
His first-year numbers were solid but hardly flashy. Scott finished at 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 41% from the field and 37% from three, which ranked fourth on the team. But Michigan State’s view of him goes well beyond the box score.
Scott has already been asked to do a little of everything in his young MSU career, whether that meant guarding the toughest matchup or putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim. That versatility is a big reason Izzo sees him as such a valuable piece.
“I am a big Jordan Scott fan,” Izzo said. “I think he’s got versatility, I think he can play three positions, and I think he has some size for his position.”
Scott said he’s using the offseason to sharpen both his body and his mindset, with a sharper edge in mind for what comes next.
“I have been trying to change my body and myself mentally,” Scott said. “Being more aggressive and seeing the game differently than I did as a freshman is big for me.”
One of the more interesting developments has been Scott’s work at point guard. Michigan State had injury issues and inconsistency at the secondary point guard spot late last season, which pushed junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. into extended minutes to close the year. In response, the Spartans gave Scott more chances to handle the ball whenever Fears sat, and that work has continued through the offseason.
Scott has embraced it. He said he likes moving between roles and has enjoyed getting time as a lead guard while still bringing his own approach to it.
“It has definitely been fun. I do like to switch up the roles a little bit,” Scott said.
“I was playing a lot of two and three over the summer, but now going to a point guard role, it was new. I see Jeremy and Carlos (Medlock Jr.) do it all the time, so I just try to bring my own bigger point guard view to that area.”
Michigan State is also counting on Scott’s shooting to matter more this season. The Spartans finished fifth in the Big Ten in three-point percentage last year but were only 10th in makes, and with seven players attempting at least two threes per game last season, plus three of those players now gone from the roster, there’s room for Scott’s volume to rise. He took 2.9 threes per game, which made up 61.4% of his shot diet in 2025-26.
As one of the projected starters, Scott could end up being a major swing piece for a Michigan State team chasing a Final Four push.
“Having that year under my belt, I think it's really helped my game," Scott said. "This is my time for me to get back out on the court and show what I've been working on."
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