Michigan State Basketball: No need to panic over Julius Marble transfer

Michigan State basketball is losing big man Julius Marble to the transfer portal and there has been a flurry of panic from Spartan fans.

Somewhat shocking news rocked the Michigan State basketball fanbase on Tuesday afternoon as soon-to-be senior Julius Marble announced he’d be entering the transfer portal.

It was shocking because Marble was projected as a starter for the 2022-23 season assuming Tom Izzo didn’t look for another center in the transfer portal and also because he saw his minutes, points, rebounds, and shooting percentage all increase this past season. He was one of the most surprising players on the team at the end of the year.

Marble averaged over 14 minutes per game, averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks, and he shot 59 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free throw line. All of those numbers were career-bests and he looked to be on track to becoming a leader for the Spartans as a senior.

However, his defense held him back a bit which is why fans were so tough on him even when his offense was shockingly efficient.

Transferring out of the program as Michigan State’s projected starting center has led to plenty of panic from around the fanbase, but I’m here to tell you that it’s not warranted — yet.

Michigan State may not have a starting center right now unless Mady Sissoko takes a massive leap this offseason, but this transfer means that Tom Izzo is going to have to hit the portal to land a big man. Before, fans were wishing he’d hit the portal for a center, but now it’s absolutely necessary. He has to add another big.

Plus, Marble as the Spartans’ starting center would not have yielded a ton of success. Now we don’t have to worry about Izzo settling for Marble as the starter and having a mediocre post — he now has to address this position and make an upgrade.

For those panicking: stop. Marble leaving isn’t going to make the difference between an NCAA Tournament berth and a losing record. Marble improved this season but he wasn’t starting-caliber and Michigan State needed to add a center regardless.

Now this just forces Mady to take a jump forward and Izzo to add a starting-caliber center from the portal.