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Michigan State Basketball: 4 Spartans who could break out in 2020-21

By Jack Williams

Marcus Bingham Jr., Michigan State basketball (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Marcus Bingham Jr., Michigan State basketball (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – FEBRUARY 29: Rocket Watts #2 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball against Eric Ayala #5 of the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on February 29, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – FEBRUARY 29: Rocket Watts #2 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball against Eric Ayala #5 of the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on February 29, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

The most likely candidate to lead the team next season is sophomore Rocket Watts. I can’t remember a player in recent history that played the game with more swagger than Rocket. His 9.0 points per game last season doesn’t do justice to the value he brought to the team. The guy can ball. He’s got the mentality of a champion and started to give us a glimpse of his potential toward the end of last season.

We can only dream of the type of performances he would have put on display for us throughout the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, as he averaged over 17 points in the last four games of the short season. Toward the end of the year, Watts started making big-time shots and found himself single-handedly sparking huge runs in big games for the Spartans.

We should expect a Gary Harris-like jump from Watts’ freshman to sophomore seasons. Around 16-17 points per game is the “mark” Rocket Watts will hope to achieve this coming season as he takes the reins from Cassius Winston. It’s entirely possible that he’ll exceed this goal and leave for the NBA draft after his second year.

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