Michigan State Basketball: Micah Parrish needed even if Max Christie comes back

Many are wondering whether Michigan State basketball’s pursuit of Micah Parrish means that the Spartans are moving on from Max Christie.

About a week ago, Michigan State basketball was rumored to be showing interest in Oakland transfer Micah Parrish and fans immediately jumped to conclusions.

“Does this mean Max Christie is gone?”
“It must mean that Michigan State is getting desperate.”
“Why not a big man?!”

Those exact phrases rained down among the fanbase despite most of them proclaiming that Tom Izzo needed to add a few guys from the transfer portal after losing Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr., Julius Marble, and potentially Max Christie.

But Parrish isn’t a big and this must mean that Christie is for sure gone, right?

Not so fast.

While Christie might not come back (nothing is for sure), even if he did decide to return for a sophomore season, adding another wing for depth is an absolute must. Michigan State lost its leading scorer (Brown) from last season and it’s going to need some proven depth on the wing. A guy like Parrish who can score at all three levels and defend at a high level is a need whether Christie returns or not. He could be the perfect backup to Christie next season if he does return.

Plus, we didn’t even mention that he put up better numbers than Christie in 2021-22. He shot better, rebounded better, got to the basket better than Max, and even out-dueled him in a head-to-head matchup, scoring 19 points with eight rebounds against the Spartans.

So for those saying Parrish is a reach, he’s not. He’s a plus player and would be the perfect complement to Christie if he were to return.

A wing is just a need for the Spartans with or without Christie back just as much as a big is.