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

1. Strong, experienced leaders to guide young players

When you look at national title contenders, rarely do you see teams of all freshmen. Sure, those title-contending teams usually have some one-and-done type of talent (looking at you, Duke and Kentucky) but they also have some veterans leading the way.

Leadership is paramount when contending for titles and that’s why Michigan State was a serious contender before the NCAA Tournament was cancelled in 2019-20.

So let’s look at some of the returning leaders: Josh Langford, Joey Hauser and Aaron Henry. The latter is more based on the jump I believe he’s going to take as a junior. He’s going to have to step into a big role as a leader with some of the most experience and NBA potential on the roster. Langford and Hauser are upperclassmen as well and the former is a senior who has been a captain before. Players listen to both guys.

Rocket Watts could also step up as a leader as well as guys like Foster Loyer and Gabe Brown.

Experience and leadership is there and then you mix in some talented young players like Malik Hall, Julius Marble, Mady Sissoko and AJ Hoggard and you have a serious title contender. What more of a reason could you possibly need to be excited about the upcoming season?