Michigan State Basketball: Projected starting lineup, minutes for 2019-20

Frontcourt

Aaron Henry will start at the three with how he performed last year. He stepped up big in certain games and even though he got chewed out on occasion by Tom Izzo, it only helped better his game. He has learned from that and his game has been elevated from it.

In his sophomore campaign, he will show how much more valuable he can be. His athleticism is his best attribute and uses that to his advantage all the time. Throughout last year, he was mainly an attacker but slowly we saw his jumper progress into a reliable scoring option. Expect his jumper to be better this year but that won’t stop him from attacking the rim. Henry will average about 25 minutes per game.

This is the biggest question heading into the year. Who will play the four position? I think to start off the year Kyle Ahrens will get the nod. Izzo will play small ball for a little bit until his bigs can develop a bit more. He has played the four many times before and does not back down from a challenge.

This could help the Spartans space the floor even more because Ahrens can step out and his the long shot but he has the IQ to know when to stay in his spot or when to cut and take the back door for an easy bucket. He also throughout his career has been slowly developing his post moves on the fly when he has played the four. Ahrens can defend well and know how to play within the system.

Look for Arhens to get about 25 minutes a game. He will also split time at the three to give Henry some rest as well.

Of course, Xavier Tillman will play center this season. He has emerged as the best big for the Spartans and is climbing up the ranks in the nation. He was able to progress his game throughout his two years at MSU while Nick Ward was either injured or being challenged by Izzo.

Tillman can run the floor really well to help his team in transition and knows to get back on defense quickly. He has a few post moves he uses and will continue his post game to make him more unstoppable.

Tillman will be on the floor for about 30 minutes a night and is a leader to his team. He will help his underclassman teammates learn the game and the system even better to step in in case anything happens to him.