Ideal Michigan State basketball starting 5 in the Tom Izzo era

Center: Jaren Jackson Jr.

Last but not least is the center. Again, Tom Izzo has had a lot of good centers throughout the years, but I have to take Jaren Jackson Jr. because of his elite versatility.

You can't have an all time Tom Izzo era starting five without them being a nighmare team on the defensive end of the floor. And any team that is a nightmare on defense has to have an elite shot blocker.

That is exactly what Jackson Jr. is.

In his one season at Michigan State, he amassed a whopping 106 blocks. To put that into perspective, that is 29 more blocks than second place in a single season. He also is No. 9 on the all time blocks list in MSU history as well while only playing in one season. The leader is Marcus Bingham Jr. with 168, so if Jaren played just one more season he would have shattered this record.

But for all the good that Jackson Jr. brings on defense, he is an elite scorer as well. He can stretch the floor and knock down 3-pointers when needed, but he can also back someone down in the post and score in the paint. He truly is one of the greatest two-way players in the Tom Izzo era. He won't go down as one of the best players in Michigan State history because he only played one season, but if he stayed for an entire four-year career I would bet he would be in the conversation for the greatest Spartan of all time.