Kur Teng played just under 60 total minutes for Michigan State in 2024-25, but Tom Izzo believes that he could be one of the guys to help the Spartans defend their Big Ten title.
Coming to Michigan State as a highly-regarded four-star sharpshooter, Teng was expected to be a standout freshman. However, he came in with Jase Richardson and we all saw how that worked out as his fellow 2024 class guard stole the show and eventually became a first-round NBA draft pick. Teng, on the other hand, sat back and learned for most of the season.
As a freshman, Teng shot just 3-for-14 from the floor and 2-for-9 from deep, but he's been regarded already this offseason by Izzo as the team's best shooter.
And during his appearance on Jon Rothstein's podcast on Thursday, Izzo had even more praise for the young guard from New Hampshire
Tom Izzo feels that with the exception of Purdue, Michigan State has as good of a returning nucleus as anybody in the Big Ten entering the 2025-26 season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 21, 2025
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Izzo spoke about the core of key players he has returning from that Big Ten title squad from last season and then he said "now it's about adding in the guys" to complement the core. Teng was the first name he mentioned outside of Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, and Carson Cooper, touting him as a "really improved" shooter.
It's pretty clear that Izzo likes what he has heading into the 2025-26 season and while the experts may not be as bullish on the Spartans, he believes his team can compete with anyone in the Big Ten.
Hearing Teng's name as a standout for the second time this offseason has me ready to go all-in and buy all the stock before the rest of Spartan Nation catches on.
I have a feeling that Teng is going to be a fan favorite.