Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over DePaul in PK80

2. Jaren Jackson Jr. hasn’t even scratched the surface yet

While watching Jaren Jackson Jr. on Thursday night, one thing was obvious: this kid hasn’t even come close to reaching his potential. We have seen a young star in the post average close to a double-double, but we haven’t truly seen what he’s capable of yet.

Jackson Jr. comes from a basketball family and he knows how to play the game. He was a McDonald’s All-American in high school and a top-10 recruit in the country. He chose Michigan State, somewhat surprisingly, over a multitude of other power conference schools and Tom Izzo arguably landed potentially the best big man he’s ever recruited.

The freshman forward has looked solid through four games, blocking shots and even driving from the top of the key to the hoop with his 6-foot-11 frame, but there’s so much room for growth that he’s only going to get better from this point on.

Izzo has a nice new toy he gets to play with, but he hasn’t even used it to the fullest of its capabilities. Once Jackson Jr. reaches that immense potential, which we might not see for a while, he will be borderline unstoppable. He’s still learning the ropes, and it’s impressive that there’s so much room for growth when he’s already averaging 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds.