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Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Cassius Winston should return in 2019-20

By Connor Muldowney

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Tom Izzo returns a talented Michigan State basketball team in 2019-20, but one major piece has yet to decide. Why will Cassius Winston come back?

Tom Izzo may just have his deepest team returning at Michigan State since taking over as head coach more than two decades ago.

Michigan State fell just short of its ultimate goal in 2018-19, losing in the Final Four to Texas Tech and that vaunted defense, but there’s a motivated squad coming back.

Gone as Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid — for sure — but Nick Ward and Cassius Winston are still on the fence of NBA decisions. Will they both come back to make next year’s team the national title favorite? Will one? One thing is for sure, Winston is more likely to return than Ward.

Here’s why the talented junior point guard should return for his senior year.

5. National Player of the Year favorite

Although Cassius Winston doesn’t care much about personal accolades compared to team accomplishments, he can’t turn down an opportunity to be the top national player of the year candidate.

Not often do you see the national player of the year race leaning one way before the season even begins, but if Winston returns, he will be the undoubted favorite.

Every player will say that he wants to win titles, which Winston does, but there’s a draw to winning the most sought-after personal hardware. Just ask Draymond Green and Denzel Valentine about how much they wanted to win National Player of the Year awards.

Winston has a chance to be in rare air in East Lansing with just a handful of players ever having a chance to win the National Player of the Year award, and by doing that, he would improve his draft stock.

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