Michigan State Basketball: What starting 5 with Emoni Bates could look like

We have yet to see Joey Hauser suit up for Michigan State, but the excitement surrounding his eligibility in 2020-21 is almost uncontainable.

Hauser was one of the top targets for Michigan State when he was a high school recruit. His recruitment came down to Marquette and Michigan State and he decided to stay close to home and play with his brother. After a couple of years, the brothers chose to transfer from Marquette and were no longer a package deal which allowed Michigan State to land the younger Hauser.

Now entering his junior year, he’s expected to join the starting five right away and be that inside-out power forward that the Spartans desperately need.

Michigan State has a few bigs who can step out and hit the occasional three, but Hauser shot 43 percent from deep while averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19.

Tom Izzo has given glowing reviews of his soon-to-be junior big man and one year in the system will do wonders for him much like it did for Bryn Forbes.

Expect big things from Hauser in 2020-21 and he’ll be back as the starting power forward in 2021-22.