To start the season, it looked like Tom Izzo was still shaping and molding redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch. He didn’t play more than six minutes in any of the first three games, but then he got more of a look against Kentucky.
Since then, he’s sort of taken off as a consistent role player.
McCulloch redshirted last season for Michigan State because Izzo didn’t want to burn his eligibility if he wasn’t going to crack the regular rotation. That turned out to be a genius move because he got to learn behind some talented bigs all season.
Now, McCulloch is playing 10-plus minutes per night (at least over the last nine games), and he’s rounding into form for the Spartans at the perfect time.
The freshman big man is starting to look like he might just be a future starter for Michigan State, as soon as next season. The more of him we see, the more comfortable he looks and his confidence continues to build. That’s perfect because the Spartans are going to need him for Big Ten play.
Jesse McCulloch is going to be very good
Although I think he could use a few extra pounds of muscle to hang with the Big Ten bigs in the post, I do think he has an offensive game that makes up for his defensive deficiencies — so far.
I believe he’ll come around defensively, but his offensive bag is intriguing.
Not only can he turn and hit a little baby-hook, but he has the baseline jumper down, he can hit from mid-range just about anywhere, and he stretches the floor and can knock down a 3-pointer if given space. Against Cornell, he even drove the lane when given space, putting the ball on the floor and nearly posterizing a defender before getting found.
Over the last three games, he’s averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and he’s shooting 70 percent from the floor and 2-for-2 from three. Plus, he’s essentially automatic from the free throw line, converting on 11-of-12 this season.
If Jaxon Kohler or Carson Cooper get into foul trouble, Izzo has McCulloch waiting and ready, and that’s not something I would’ve been comfortable with at the start of the year. Boy, that’s changed in a hurry.
The future is bright for Jesse McCulloch.