Michigan State Basketball: New year, new Aaron Henry

After a disappointing stretch to end the 2020 calendar year, Aaron Henry stepped up to post career-highs for Michigan State basketball against Nebraska.

This is the Aaron Henry that was on the radar of NBA teams with stretches of spectacular play as a sophomore and excellent all-around performances starting in late November through mid-December of this current season.

The junior small forward scored a career-high 27 points for the Spartans when they desperately needed a spark to snap a three-game losing streak on the road at Nebraska. He shot 63 percent from the field but the most encouraging stat of the night may have been him making 3-of-5 attempts from three-point range. If he can start to regularly sink perimeter jumpers, he could potentially play his way into the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and more importantly, catapult the Spartans to find the success they are accustomed to experiencing year-in and year-out.

Henry was able to score at will with an impressive array of moves. His baskets came off of lay-ins, floaters, post-up buckets, mid-range shots and the aforementioned threes.

The Big Ten is an unforgiving league with nine teams nationally ranked in the top-25. If Michigan State expects to get back into the race to contend for a conference title, they need Henry to assert himself on the offensive end and be the dominant two-way player he is capable of being.

He has the discipline, instincts, size, basketball IQ, and athleticism to be a lockdown defender. Offensively, he has all of the physical tools and the green light to go out and score 20 points on any given night. MSU can thrive if he can sustain this newfound aggressive mentality, hunt for his shot, and emerge as the leader of this team.

If Henry can consistently drain shots from beyond the arc and ensure that his motor runs on high for 40 minutes (with tremendous energy and focus), he has the potential to rapidly evolve into a true superstar and be the engine behind a potential strong NCAA Tournament run come March.

The 2021 version of No. 0 is a sight for sore eyes. It appears as though Aaron Henry made a new Year’s resolution to become a monster on the basketball court. Michigan State needs to see Henry keep his resolution for 16 more conference games and how ever many postseason contests follow that. When he’s in between the four white lines, the beast that we saw destroy the Cornhuskers, must continue his tear in the months to come.