Michigan State Basketball: Jaden Akins on verge of becoming a star

In Michigan State basketball’s second loss of the season against Baylor, one player stood out and it made Spartan fans giddy.

Jaden Akins had the biggest game of his young career, scoring 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting and he didn’t look completely outmatched athletically or skill-wise against the No. 6 team in the country. He didn’t shy away from the spotlight in a huge Battle 4 Atlantis title game and did his best to keep Michigan State in the game late.

Akins had one of those “why the heck is he not playing more?” games that Cassius Winston had during his freshman year.

Through seven games, he’s averaging just 14.3 minutes per game, scoring 4.6 points with 2.3 rebounds and shooting about 46 percent from the floor. He’s making just 11 percent of his 3-point tries, but that’s only going to improve because, as Tom Izzo said on Monday, Akins is Charlie Bell-esque with a better shot.

Izzo had a ton of praise for Akins on Monday and that might just mean he’s earned more minutes in the backcourt. His performance against Baylor was eye-opening and it just felt like the start of his ascension to Michigan State stardom.

Akins is going to be special with Michigan State basketball

Some of the plays he made against Baylor were jaw-dropping and he was arguably the best player on the floor for the Spartans for most of the game.

If your freshman guard can make plays like these, he deserves more playing time:

Don’t be surprised if Akins sees his minutes increase to about 20-25 per game as his rise to stardom continues along with Max Christie.

That backcourt duo is going to be a staple of Michigan State basketball for at least the next year and potentially in 2022-23.

Just like Cassius, Akins is going to be a really special player in East Lansing and an immediate fan favorite when he gets more playing time. We’re watching rapid growth before our eyes.