Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Nick Ward should return for junior year

1. Defense needs major work

There’s a reason Nick Ward found himself on the bench more often than he would have liked in crucial situations during the 2017-18 season and it wasn’t because of his offense.

In fact, it was the opposite end of the floor that got him in trouble.

Defense in the NBA is what could set him apart, along with a nice jumper, but if he can’t keep college players in front of him, there’s no way a team is going to take a chance at keeping him on the court for extended periods of time, especially near the end of games.

Without strong defense, NBA players would eat Ward alive. He needs to work on his lateral and vertical quickness as well as footwork on the defensive end. He’s been caught flat-footed far too much when big men put the ball on the floor and take him to the hoop, which is an obvious weakness.

You’d have a hard time finding an NBA big who can’t handle the ball, and Ward can’t do that on the offensive end and he has a tough time defending against the dribble. He can be a shot-blocking machine with more work, but he needs to continue to develop and mature on defense.