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Michigan State Basketball: Final player grades for 2017-18 season

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans high fives Cassius Winston #5 during the first half against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans high fives Cassius Winston #5 during the first half against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

SF. Sophomore. MILES BRIDGES. A-.

Although it may seem like Cassius Winston deserves to be alone with the highest grade on the team after this season, Miles Bridges quietly put together a solid year.

Coming back brought lofty expectations from fans and the media, but Bridges continued to play the way he had known for years. He didn’t increase his ‘aggressiveness’ and many knocked him for not having that killer instinct, but he’s not the type of player to be selfish.

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In fact, he’s quite the opposite. Sure, there were games where he took over and scored 25-plus points, but for the most part he hovered around the 15-20 range. He had 12 20-point games this season to go along with two 30-point performances. That’s not what makes him a great player, though.

Bridges can score when he wants to, but his athleticism set him apart. No, he didn’t take the ball to the rim as much as he should have, but he worked on that throughout the season. He also developed a decent mid-range game.

The expectations for his return were through the roof so anything less than National Player of the Year and national champion would have been considered a disappointment. But he’s still worthy of an A- for his strong year — and he broke 1,000 career points.

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