Michigan State Basketball: Player grades for Big Ten road-opening win at Northwestern

Starters

It was a rough day for Aaron Henry, a good game for Cassius Winston and a step in the right direction for both Xavier Tillman and Gabe Brown. We know this will be a mostly-passing grade for the starting five.

Cassius Winston: A

This was a signature Cassius game. He was making defenders miss, slicing through the defense to the basket like a hot knife through butter and throwing up circus shots that dropped with regularity. We all knew what was coming when his first two shots of the game were made threes. His defense continues to come along, but his offense led the way and he was masterful. The All-American had 21 points and six assists on 8-of-16 shooting. He still had four turnovers, but a couple of those may not have been his fault completely and one was an offensive foul.

Aaron Henry: C-

For those who have followed my player grades since I’ve started doing them, you’d know I don’t like to give Ds and Fs because that would mean it would be the worst game played in the history of basketball to achieve that. Aaron Henry was close to becoming my first D of the season. He played arguably the worst half of basketball of his career and then he continued that early in the second half. He came on late and made a big three and some nice passes, but overall it was a rough game, finishing 1-for-9 from the floor and he had six turnovers and three fouls.

Gabe Brown: A-

After struggling with his shot over the past couple of games, Gabe Brown needed a bounce-back and he got one in a big way with 11 points and 10 rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting from deep. I’d still like to see him take the ball off the dribble a little more instead of settling for jumpers, but he has the stroke to be dangerous from deep. And if he can continue using his length to rebound at a high clip, Michigan State may just have found a key piece to the puzzle.

Marcus Bingham Jr.: B+

I continue to be impressed with what Marcus Bingham Jr. brings to the table game in and game out even though he plays 10-15 minutes max. His conditioning is still coming along and when he’s able to contribute 20-25 minutes regularly, he’s going to be a problem for opposing teams. He uses that length to alter shots on defense and cleans up on the offensive glass. He had six points and five rebounds in 13 minutes and continues to make the most of his minutes.

Xavier Tillman: A-

Another double-double in Xavier Tillman’s back pocket. The junior big man played well yet again and seems to be coming along. After a slow start to the game, he picked up his play in the second half to finish with 15 points and 10 boards to go along with four assists, two steals and a block. Tillman is an absolute stat sheet stuffer and he’s gaining that confidence back. If he can add some post moves, he can be a stud for the Spartans down the stretch.