Michigan State basketball will contend, flirt with danger in 2022-23

Tom Izzo decided to leave some holes on the Michigan State basketball roster for 2022-23 and it may be dangerous, but the Spartans will contend.

At the conclusion of the 2021-22 Michigan State basketball season, Tom Izzo had a lot of questions to answer about his roster.

The Spartans had to wait on the final decisions from Marcus Bingham Jr., Joey Hauser, Gabe Brown, and Max Christie regarding their pro futures. All had eligibility and a spot if they wanted to return for one more season, but there was just so much uncertainty and a few of those guys felt like it may be time to move on.

The veterans (Bingham and Brown) decided to stay in the NBA draft while Hauser was welcomed back with open arms as he felt like he had some unfinished business to take care of. Christie remained in the draft to everyone’s surprise as he feels like he could be a first-rounder.

And then there was the somewhat surprising transfer of Julius Marble to Texas A&M.

All of these departures and Michigan State is only brought in Jaxon Kohler and Tre Holloman from the 2022 class along with unranked late signee Carson Cooper. Panic began to set in when Izzo admitted that he was “standing pat” with his current roster and he likes what he has heading into the 2022-23 season. He seemed alone in that regard.

Fans were upset with the decision to not pursue another transfer wing after missing out on Jalen Bridges and Micah Parrish all while losing Brown and Christie to the NBA draft, and rightly so. It was a questionable move, at best. But Izzo likes what he has in Jaden Akins, Pierre Brooks, Malik Hall, Tyson Walker, and Holloman who can all play wing.

Not targeting another center after losing Bingham Jr. and Marble seemed questionable, too, but Izzo trusts Kohler and Mady Sissoko to develop into solid Big Ten bigs. He believes in the development there.

It’s OK to question Izzo and even wonder if he’s lost his touch after this rough offseason, but he is right when he says that he likes his roster and it should be able to contend in a down Big Ten.

The Spartans’ starting five will be as good as any in the Big Ten with AJ Hoggard, Akins, Hall, Hauser, and Kohler the likely group. All five can score and there’s some athleticism with Hall and Akins that could really set them apart. All of them, outside of Hoggard unless he develops a jumper, can score from all three levels and each has a high basketball IQ.

Coming off the bench will be Walker (who could really break out), Brooks, Holloman, and Sissoko while Cooper redshirts more than likely. A nine-deep team isn’t the worst thing in the world and most of the time, Izzo is trying to cut his rotation down from like 10-11 to 8-9. This does that work for him.

Michigan State won’t be void of talent in 2022-23 as all nine guys will have a positive impact and if some guys (Sissoko, Kohler, Brooks, Holloman) develop, I think this team has a Big Ten title feel.

But it’ll be flirting with danger because of that lack of depth. It’ll be one injury away from having its season completely derailed.

So before you knock Izzo for a questionable offseason, just realize that he has the talent at his disposal but the only trick here is trying to keep everyone healthy. If that happens, anything is possible.