Michigan State brought in just two freshmen next season and both of them exceeded expectations. Unfortunately, one of them dealt with a wrist injury that affected his shooting.
That freshman was Cam Ward.
The first-year forward from Maryland finished the season averaging 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds and he made nearly 59 percent of his field goals. The Spartans got plenty out of the freshman forward who provided a spark off the bench. He was also almost automatic when he got the ball in the paint. Not many bigs over the past decade have been as aggressive as Ward, but he liked to flex his muscles and go at defenders.
Sometimes, it led to sloppy turnovers and he was also somewhat of a foul machine, but the positives outweighed the negatives. His wrist injury did set him back quite a bit, though.
Ward showed flashes, but he was consistently an offensive option. He scored 11 points against North Carolina earlier in the year and then had just one more game of double-digit scoring in the NCAA Tournament against North Dakota State.
His role will be upgraded this upcoming season.
What will Cam Ward’s role be in 2026-27?
Ward averaged just over 15 minutes per game last season as the backup power forward to Jaxon Kohler and now that he’s graduated, I can see him taking over the starting role.
While Kaleb Glenn is going to be healthy, I think Ward is going to be Tom Izzo’s pick to be the starting power forward next to Anton Bonke and Coen Carr at the five and three, respectively.
Ward averaged just five points and four rebounds last season, which isn’t bad for an Izzo freshman big, but I could see those numbers double this year if he does crack the starting lineup to begin the year. Ward is a forward who finishes strong at the rim and he’ll average around 10 points and 7-8 rebounds per game. He’ll also improve that horrendous 51 percent free throw shooting to over 60 percent.
I believe Ward plays around 20 minutes per game as the starting power forward and he’ll be spelled by Glenn and a little bit of Julius Avent and Jesse McCulloch.
A starting power forward who can average 10 and eight and shoots around 60 percent from the floor while being a strong defensive stopper is exactly what Michigan State needs to replace Kohler. Obviously if he could shoot threes, that’d be ideal, but don’t hold your breath. His jumper was clearly his weakness last season.
Ward will be a fan favorite and a breakout candidate in 2026-27.
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