EAST LANSING -- Michigan State’s rotation picture is crowded enough that Tom Izzo may end up leaning into smaller lineups this season.
The Spartans have 11 or 12 players who could realistically see the floor, which gives Izzo plenty of options and, in a way, plenty of problems. There are only so many minutes to spread around, especially with several forwards all needing playing time. That math could push Michigan State toward some small-ball looks.
Sophomore forward Cam Ward sits right in the middle of that conversation. After a strong freshman season, he might have taken an even bigger leap if not for a wrist injury that Izzo said knocked him off course a bit. Ward is one of those players the staff will want on the court, but the frontcourt is crowded with other guys who also look essential.
Coen Carr, Kaleb Glenn and Jesse McCulloch all fit that category. Izzo has options, but the biggest question is where Ward fits when the Spartans want to get everybody involved. He’s primarily a four, yet the minutes there are tight.
That has led to one possible solution: Ward at center.
“Now I've got the media coaching my team, and you're right," Izzo said last Wednesday when the suggestion came up. "You're right.
That's what bothers me; you're right. Yes, we will probably do that some, and we can do that.
It just gives us different options against different teams, different times of the game.”
If Ward slides to the five, Michigan State can open the floor with a lineup built around three or even four guards. That would be a major shift from the usual guard-forward-center structure, but it also might be the cleanest way to get the Spartans’ best pieces on the court together.
Point guard is straightforward. Jeremy Fears Jr. will command plenty of the minutes there, with freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. also in the mix.
Shooting guard is where things get messy. Jordan Scott started there late last season, but Jasiah Jervis and Kur Teng will also need regular run.
Scott’s length gives Izzo another wrinkle. He can move down to the three, which may actually suit him better, and that opens the door for Carr to slide to the four and Ward to the five. In that setup, the backcourt could change from game to game.
It might be Fears and Jervis one night, Medlock and Jervis another, or Fears and Medlock depending on the matchup or whoever has the hot hand. Izzo may simply end up choosing the guards who fit the moment best and then building the rest of the lineup around them.
That is part of what makes this roster so intriguing. Michigan State appears to have more certainty, and probably more high-end talent, in the backcourt than it does in the frontcourt. The guard spots may be where the nightly givens are found.
The frontcourt remains the tougher puzzle. Ward at the five would be a boost, but it would also squeeze Anton Bonke, Ethan Taylor and McCulloch. All three are important to this team, even if none is fully established at this level yet.
Bonke comes in from Charlotte. Taylor, a true freshman, has enough passing skill and athletic ability to get on the floor even while he’s still developing.
McCulloch drew praise from Izzo for what he showed this summer, and that carried over to the Incarnate Word exhibition, where he scored 20 points. Even so, Ward is still the more established option right now.
So the Spartans are left with a luxury and a headache at the same time. There may be room for 11 or 12 players to matter this season, but there isn’t room for all of them to be satisfied. A couple of deserving players could end up on the outside looking in.
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