Former Michigan State players are flourishing at the professional level this season, including a couple of rookies. Jase Richardson is averaging just under 10 minutes per game, but he’s been making the most of his time on the floor and Jaden Akins is turning heads at the G-League level.
Akins’ quest to make an NBA roster is going as well as he could ask for, getting serious playing time with the Motor City Cruise, a G-League affiliate of the Pistons.
The former Michigan State guard is averaging about 33 minutes per game and in 14 contests, he’s putting up 16.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the floor and about 34 percent from three. He’s making his presence felt in a heavily relied-upon role.
It’s good to see the Spartan rookie playing well in a large role in the G-League while his former teammate is also looking good in his smaller role with the Magic.
Former Spartans in the NBA are looking good through two months.
Jaden Akins’ underdog role has carried over
It feels like all of Akins’ career, he’s been an underdog. He was a highly-touted recruit out of high school, but he played on the same prep team as Emoni Bates and was overshadowed a bit until he and the team parted ways after an alleged dispute.
When he got to Michigan State, he had to fight for a role early on in a loaded backcourt that didn’t have many minutes for Tom Izzo to disperse, and he still managed to carve one out.
Then, as a senior, he fought through some career up-and-downs and took on a leadership role after sticking it out for four years. He took on a large role, and didn’t disappoint with his best season as a Spartan and a Big Ten title then subsequent Elite Eight push.
Now, he’s fighting for an NBA roster spot after going undrafted. He’s playing over 30 minutes per game for a G-League team and he’s not taking the opportunity for granted, putting up over 16 points and nearly eight assists per game.
When he needed to come up clutch in his career, Akins did — and he’s doing it again.