Coen Carr's development could be the X-factor in 2024-25

Every summer, the Moneyball Pro-Am is a way for Michigan State basketball fans to get a sneak-peek into next year's squad. And Coen Carr is putting on a show for fans.

The sophomore forward had a relatively quiet freshman season (the rims in East Lansing disagree) but the expectations for him are rising heading into year two. His development is going to be one of the keys for a turnaround for this program and it looks like he may be taking that next step.

I get it, any Moneyball observations cannot be fully bought into because, well, it's a Pro-Am with very little defense being played. But Carr has scored 29 points and 35 points in his first two games and he's not just dunking -- although there have been some wild throw-downs by the sophomore forward.

In the first Moneyball game, he hit three 3-pointers which is exactly three more than he made during his entire freshman season. Heck, he didn't even shoot jumpers last season.

I know, Tum Tum Nairn was notorious for shooting the lights out of the ball at Moneyball and it just never translated, but it seems like Carr is at least putting in the work. He knows that he didn't see the floor as much as he would like as a true freshman because of that lack of a jumper and floor-spacing as well as the fact that his defense could use work.

But we're seeing a kid work hard and perfect his craft before our eyes. Even if he just adds a mid-range jumper, the Spartans get that much better.

An ideal lineup would probably be Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, Carr, and Xavier Booker. Just unbelievable amounts of athleticism and floor-spacing, especially with an added Carr jumper.

That's a lineup that can win a Big Ten title and compete for a national one. All depending on Carr's development -- well that, and Booker's.