Michigan State Basketball: 3 reasons to be optimistic about 2020-21 season

3. The rise of Rocket Watts

Coming to Michigan State as a freshman, expectations were high for Rocket Watts. He may not have been expected to be an instant star, especially with Cassius Winston back for his senior season and both Josh Langford and Aaron Henry on the wings.

When Langford was ruled out for the season, Watts was given a chance to prove himself, earning some starts and when he wasn’t in that starting five, he played big minutes off the bench.

Watts played 20 minutes per game, overcame an early-season injury and finished the year red-hot, averaging 9.0 points and 1.7 assists. His shooting numbers weren’t great, but that was mostly due to his slow start to the season.

Now entering his sophomore season, he’s projected to be the starting point guard and many college basketball experts believe he’s going to have a breakout campaign.

The potential rise of Watts is enough to make any Spartan fan beam with excitement. We saw glimpses of his greatness last year, but when Rocket’s on, he can completely take over a game.