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Michigan State Basketball: Piecing together all-2010s starting five

By Connor Muldowney

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 16: Gary Harris #14 and Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after the 69-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines during the finals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 16, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 16: Gary Harris #14 and Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after the 69-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines during the finals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 16, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

This one wasn’t all that tough even though I think Kalin Lucas will go down as one of the best point guards in Michigan State history but an Achilles injury changed the conclusion of his career.

Travis Trice, too, deserves a nod and some might even argue Keith Appling had a decent run, but Cassius Winston has eclipsed that entire group over the past two seasons.

After a quiet freshman season in which he averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 assists, Winston had big sophomore and junior seasons when he needed to be ‘the guy’ at the point guard spot. His points per game average has tripled and he sits just over 200 assists shy of 1,000. Not only that, but he’s likely to reach 2,000 points by the end of his career.

It’s a long shot and he’ll need a huge final few months of the 2019-20 season, but he could become the first-ever college basketball player to finish his career with 2,000 points and 1,000 assists.

While his defense has never been elite, it has gotten better and he’s run the point guard position as smoothly as any player under Tom Izzo since Mateen Cleaves.

If you’re not a Cassius fan, something must be wrong with you.

Backups: Travis Trice, Kalin Lucas

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