Predicting Michigan State basketball’s starting 5 after trip to Spain

Shooting guard: Jaden Akins

Next up is Jaden Akins who is likely everyone’s pick to be the starter at guard this season. He’s the only senior who’s been at Michigan State his entire career in the starting five so you can’t leave that leadership out of the starting group.

On top of that, he’s quite clearly the best player at the position.

However, I am a little concerned for Akins after their overseas trip. He did average 9.3 points per game which isn’t terrible, however I do expect more from once the season begins. But the thing that makes me the most nervous is his consistency.

Akins only scored one point in MSU’s first game against Madrid, going 0-for-11 from the field. Sure he bounced back and played well the final two games, but seeing him have a no show performance really scares me.

Michigan State needs Akins to be one of the more consistent players on the team. They need him to not just average double digit points this season, but he needs to hit that mark every game.

I believe Akins can do it, but my concern level definitely rose just slightly after this trip.