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Michigan State basketball: 3 reasons Tyson Walker should return

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State's Tyson Walker, right, slaps hands with A.J. Hoggard during the second half in the game against Ohio State on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.230304 Msu Ohio State 156a
Michigan State's Tyson Walker, right, slaps hands with A.J. Hoggard during the second half in the game against Ohio State on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.230304 Msu Ohio State 156a /
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Mar 19, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) and guard A.J. Hoggard (11) celebrate their 69-60 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ncaa Men S Basketball Tournament Round 2
Mar 19, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) and guard A.J. Hoggard (11) celebrate their 69-60 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ncaa Men S Basketball Tournament Round 2 /

2. He could become an all-time great with Big Ten POY award

What do the best players in Michigan State basketball history all have in common? They’ve all been considered the best players in the Big Ten over the years. There was Kalin Lucas, Cassius Winston, Mateen Cleaves, and Denzel Valentine. All of those guys have been considered Spartan legends and all took home some hardware.

Tyson Walker has a chance to do that in 2023-24 if he returns.

In his first year with the Spartans, he averaged just 8.2 points and 4.3 assists. He shot 43 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three. He improved most of those numbers by a healthy margin, averaging 14.8 points and 2.9 assists, dropping his turnovers from 1.8 to 1.3 and he shot 46 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three on 68 more attempts.

If he continues that improvement, not only will he surpass the 1,000-point mark for his MSU career early in Big Ten play, but he’ll also be a favorite for conference player of the year.

Walker was already considered one of the best guards in the conference this season and with another step in his game, he’ll be arguably the league’s top player and an MSU legend.

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