Michigan State Basketball: Who’s to blame for 3-game losing streak?

1. Aaron Henry

It has always been hard to be upset with Aaron Henry, and for a while, it seemed like there were enough excuses for him to be off the hook. He was playing extremely well on the defensive end and looked like Tom Izzo’s next great player. For the first few games, though, his shots were not falling. He wasn’t necessarily taking bad shots, they just couldn’t go through the hoop.

Fast forward to present day and his game has turned into an absolute train wreck. Henry never seemed to be the type of guy to get into his own head and start playing poorly — that honor would usually go to Rocket Watts. But after a performance where No. 0 looked completely lost on the court, there’s no explanation other than to say that he’s rattled.

His shots went from good shots that weren’t falling to flat-out bad attempts. He looks like he’s running around aimlessly on the offensive end. His dribbling-drive penetrations seem to stop just after the free throw line and result in a bricked floater. He’s still play alright on defense, but he no longer looks like a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

It’s impossible to say what happened that caused him to play so poorly, but Michigan State’s poor performances start right here. If Henry doesn’t get back on track, it’s going to be a long season for Michigan State.