Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over Rutgers in Week 5

3. Josh Langford needs to make smarter decisions

Josh Langford can be a serious difference-maker for the Spartans when he’s on his game. He has one of the best shots on the team and he’s not afraid to pump-fake, make a move toward the hoop and then pull up for a mid-range jumper. Heck, we saw plenty of that against Rutgers.

Langford has made it his mission to shake the label of “shooter” and he’s going a solid job by slashing to the basket more and trying to get up easier shots. However, he has been passing up too many open 3-pointers for more contested shots. Sure, getting into the lane and occasionally drawing fouls can be better than a 3-point miss, but too often he comes up empty.

In fact, Tuesday was a prime example of his questionable decision-making taking center stage. He drove to the lane many times and either lost the ball or forced up a bad shot. He finished the game 6-for-20 from the floor, which is a mediocre, at best, 30 percent shooting night. That can’t continue to happen.

The sophomore wing did miss all four of his 3-point attempts, so I get taking it to the lane makes sense when the deep shots aren’t falling, but he should try to drive and kick it out for an open shot more. It seems that whenever he drives, he’s dead-set on shooting no matter what.