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5 offseason tasks that’ll make Michigan State basketball 2022-23 national title contender

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State forward Joey Hauser (10) talks to forward Malik Hall (25) during the second half of Michigan State's 74-73 victory over Davidson in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Friday, March 18, 2022.
Michigan State forward Joey Hauser (10) talks to forward Malik Hall (25) during the second half of Michigan State's 74-73 victory over Davidson in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Friday, March 18, 2022. /
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Michigan State’s Steven Izzo, left, celebrates with Max Christie after Izzo’s steal at the end of the Maryland game on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State’s Steven Izzo, left, celebrates with Max Christie after Izzo’s steal at the end of the Maryland game on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at the Breslin Center. /

2. Max Christie, Tyson Walker break out as go-to scorers

As mentioned on the previous page, Michigan State was missing two key things this season: a vocal leader and a go-to scorer. And it’s not like the Spartans lacked candidates to fill both of those roles.

Obviously, we talked about AJ Hoggard stepping up as the vocal leader being a key but also there are two potential go-to scorers that could lead the way when Michigan State needs points.

The first is Max Christie who I could see taking a Jordan Davis or Keegan Murray-type jump as a sophomore. If he can do that and be that star player, Michigan State is going to have someone who can score from anywhere — and in bunches — and defend at a high level. That’s usually the key to a title run both in the conference and nationally.

The other is Tyson Walker. This may sound ridiculous, but he proved that he could be the guy on offense multiple times this season but he was just afraid to shoot most of the time. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 assists and he made an astounding 47 percent of his shots from the floor. He can be an elite scoring threat and needs to act as one in 2022-23.

Malik Hall could be a go-to scorer as well, but I’m not convinced he can be consistent enough.

If Christie and/or Walker step up as the alpha when Michigan State needs points, it’s going to be a successful season.

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