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Michigan State Basketball: Jaden Akins “exceeding expectations” this offseason

By Connor Muldowney

Jaden Akins drives into the lane during the Iverson Classic All-American Game at Bartlett High School on Saturday, May 8, 2021.A37i4253
Jaden Akins drives into the lane during the Iverson Classic All-American Game at Bartlett High School on Saturday, May 8, 2021.A37i4253 /
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Playing point guard in Tom Izzo’s system is not an easy task, especially when you’re just a true freshman and are trying to learn it, but Jaden Akins has reportedly made a seamless transition from the high school ranks to Michigan State basketball.

Expectations were high for the athletic guard from Farmington, Mich., coming in.

And he has reportedly exceeded them already and he’s only been on campus for a few months.

According to Justin Thind of 247Sports, Akins has been exceeding expectations this offseason after talking to people inside the program.

https://twitter.com/SpartanTailgate/status/1430214324753215494?s=20

So what does this mean? As you can see above, it likely means that Akins will have a big freshman season with the Spartans that might be nearly as impactful as Max Christie.

Hearing that Akins is exceeding expectations is a good sign seeing as the Spartans will be counting on both him and Christie heavily in 2021-22 as the backcourt/wing took a hit with the departures of Josh Langford, Aaron Henry, and Foster Loyer. Michigan State needs someone to step up at the point or just in the backcourt and Akins looks to be poised to do just that.

No one is predicting an all-conference season for the true freshman, but it’s not crazy to think he could be in the running for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.

Michigan State basketball building for the future

With Akins reportedly exceeding expectations this offseason and working with Cassius Winston, that means that he and Christie are going to have prominent roles for the upcoming season.

This reminds me of the 2016-17 season when the talented freshman class of Miles Bridges, Josh Langford, Nick Ward, and Cassius were forced to grow up quickly. I think we’re going to see the same type of growth from Akins and Christie and later on Pierre Brooks.

The 2021 class is going to help Michigan State build for the future and expectations for a 2-3 year stretch will be very high.

How do MSU's 2021 position groups compare to 2020?. dark. Next

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