Jaxon Kohler was a major bright spot in win over Madrid All-Stars

As fans sat down to watch Thursday's Michigan State basketball exhibition opener in Spain, there were some key storylines that everyone was getting ready to follow.

One was the emergence of a true scorer on offense. Would it be Jaden Akins (it wasn't on Thursday) or would it be someone like Frankie Fidler? The other main storyline was regarding the center position. Would any of the three centers be able to step up or would Tom Izzo be forced to slide Xavier Booker over to center and Coen Carr to power forward in the starting five?

Well, the game started with the newest center on the roster, Szymon Zapala, getting the nod and he didn't exactly light up the scoreboard. Actually, he did the exact opposite. Zapala was 0-for-2 from the floor with no points and two rebounds.

Hope seemed lost after watching Zapala do what Michigan State's centers did regularly in 2023-24: essentially nothing on the offensive end.

But then Jaxon Kohler came in and I honestly had to do a double-take when he took the floor because he looked much slimmer than he did a year ago. He moved better and while he still missed some bunnies that he will undoubtedly work on, he looked like the best center on the team, scoring 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting with 12 rebounds and three blocks. That's the type of line that this team needs from Kohler and the fact that he looked improved on both ends of the floor was encouraging.

Carson Cooper chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, but it was Kohler who really stole the show at the center position and it shows that he may be ready for that next step.

It looks like Saddi Washington's effect is being felt immediately by Kohler.

Let's see if he can build on that performance throughout the rest of the Spain trip.