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

Bench

The bench wasn’t as productive as Tom Izzo would have liked but the main contributors separated themselves.

Gabe Brown: B-

Don’t get me wrong, I think Gabe Brown has the potential to be an NBA player one day, but his confidence dropped off in the final stretch of the season. Ever since he missed most of the Wisconsin game with the flu, Brown hasn’t been the same. He hasn’t looked like himself lately and he’s second-guessing his shots which were all dropping earlier in the year. He averaged 6.7 points in the regular season, shooting about 43 percent from the floor. His defense and shooting need to get back on track if MSU is going to make a run.

Kyle Ahrens: B-

When he was healthy, Kyle Ahrens provided a spark off the bench. He averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from long range. He was that hustle guy who injected life into the lineup when he was on the floor and he provided the team with one of the best halftime moments of the season against Nebraska when he called the team out for not playing up to its potential.

Marcus Bingham Jr.: C+

We didn’t see a lot of Marcus Bingham Jr. this season but when he was in the game, he seemed to have an impact. He was a shot-blocking machine in the post but his conditioning was an issue and his once-promising outlook as the starting four, was shattered. He averaged 3.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He is still a year away from being a true force down low and when that does happen, the sky’s the limit.

Thomas Kithier: C

There were instances where Thomas Kithier was a solid contributor off the bench, but he was getting pushed around down low defensively. If he can sure up his defense and create more of a post game on offense, the Spartans would benefit greatly. He averaged 3.1 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 67 percent from the floor.

Foster Loyer: C-

We all wanted to see Foster Loyer take that next step as Cassius Winston’s backup, but he couldn’t be on the floor for long stretches to give the All-American point guard a rest. He averaged 2.9 points and 0.9 assists and shot about 45 percent from the floor, but he struggled to defend and rarely took open shots. He was also turnover-prone, but he does deserve praise for helping to get Cassius’ mind in the right place after the loss of his brother.

Julius Marble: C

Admittedly, the lack of Julius Marble on the floor was disappointing. He looked great when he was on the floor, but averaged 5.5 points in 27 appearances. He averaged 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the floor.