Michigan State Basketball: Final 2019-20 regular season report card

Starters

Michigan State shuffled through multiple starting lineups throughout the season, but I went with the one that seemed to mold into the best possible option for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.

Cassius Winston: A

The season began with some horrible news for Cassius Winston, so you can forgive him for not looking like his normal self for a good month or two of the season, but once February hit, he seemed to turn the corner. He played well early in conference play, too, like the Michigan and Minnesota games, but he had a rough stretch shortly after plagued by turnovers.

Winston couldn’t have ended the regular season any hotter, though. He made 71 percent of his 3-pointers in a five-game stretch and helped lead the Spartans past Illinois, Penn State, Nebraska and Maryland on the road while beating Ohio State and Iowa at home. He averaged 18.6 points, 5.9 assists and hit 43 percent of his 3-pointers to end the regular season.

Rocket Watts: B+

After a rough start to the year, followed by a month-long absence because of an injury, Rocket Watts really rounded into form. He became that third or fourth scoring option that Michigan State was desperately looking for. His shooting numbers don’t look great, but don’t let that fool you because Rocket had a fantastic freshman season. His defense was a huge boost and he averaged about 9.0 points per game — he averaged 17.8 points in his final four games.

Aaron Henry: B+

If Aaron Henry showed a little more consistency this season, he likely would have finished with an A-, but he hit a rough stretch in the middle of the year where he had no confidence. Turnovers were piling up, he wasn’t making his shots and he constantly got chewed out by Izzo.

Things seemed to change during a loss to Michigan. He scored 11 points and looked solid and then continued that momentum into the final stretch of the season. In the final eight games of the regular season, he averaged 12 points per game and was a consistent double-digit scorer, taking some pressure off Cassius. His defense, too, kept the Spartans in games against ranked foes.

Malik Hall: B-

There were certain games where Malik Hall looked like a future star and others where he couldn’t defend without picking up a foul. If I were to bet what his future in the green and white looked like, it would be the former. He has a high basketball IQ, plays with toughness and is a strong finished around the hoop. He finished his freshman regular season as the presumed starter at the four, averaging 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting a solid 54 percent from the floor.

If he can add a consistent jumper and long-range shot, he’s going to be really, really good.

Xavier Tillman: A

I know I wasn’t the only one who was ready to hit the panic button halfway through the regular season when Xavier Tillman wasn’t making his layups and was getting pushed around in the post every now and then. However, something in him clicked midway through the season and he became the most consistent player on the floor over the final couple of months.

Tillman proved to be the Big Ten’s best defender, shutting down Luka Garza (3-of-13 shooting when guarding him), holding Jalen Smith in check and also shutting down Lamar Stevens and Kaleb Wesson. He was an absolute double-double machine, recording seven in his final 12 games. He finished the season second on the team in scoring (13.7) while leading the team in rebounds (10.3) and shot 55 percent from the floor. A pro career may be in his immediate future.