Over the course of the Tom Izzo era, there have been several instances of players breaking out as seniors to finish their Michigan State careers out on a high note and becoming fan favorites.
Jaxon Kohler is doing just that.
After averaging no more than 7.8 points and 7.5 rebounds over his first three seasons in East Lansing, Kohler is having a big senior year, averaging 12.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Unfortunately, he’s hit a bit of a wall over the past few weeks.
Kohler’s cold stretch began on the road against Washington, and he’s had a couple of solid games, but the most points he’s scored in a single game since then is just 12. Before that, he didn’t have a single game in which he scored fewer than 10 points. Over the past eight games, he’s scored fewer than 10 points four times.
During this stretch, Michigan State is just 5-3. Getting him back on track is the key to Michigan State turning things around and making a deep run in March.
Jaxon Kohler’s confidence is key
I’m not saying Kohler isn’t confident, but he isn’t shooting as well as he was earlier in the year, and his numbers are down over the past eight games. With Kohler struggling offensively, the team has looked a ton more stagnant on the offense. That’s not solely because he hasn’t been quite as effective offensively, but having him playing like he was through the first 17 games would have helped.
In the first 17 games, Kohler was averaging 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He was shooting about 52 percent from the floor.
Over the past eight games, Michigan State is averaging just 8.6 points and 7.6 boards. He’s also shooting just 23 percent from 3-point land after hovering around 50 percent through the first 17 games. Like I said, this drop in production isn’t why Michigan State is struggling, but it is a contributing factor.
If Michigan State wants to get back on track and make a deep March run like the one we saw last year and expected through the first 20, or so, games this year, Kohler needs to locate that confidence.
I believe.