Michigan State’s point guard position was very close to being a nightmare scenario for Tom Izzo. With just two hours to go until the NBA draft deadline, Jeremy Fears announced that he’d be returning to Michigan State for his junior year, putting his NBA dreams on hold for at least one more season.
The Spartans were legitimately two hours away from having to rely on a true freshman point guard to run the show with next to no backup. The Spartans still only have two point guards which could be a disaster if there’s foul trouble or an injury, but Carlos Medlock Jr. is talented enough to run the offense if Fears is out.
The freshman who originally played for Wayne Memorial in Michigan had transferred to Link Academy for his final year of high school ball and that’s where he really became a star. He also helped the Spartans recruit Ethan Taylor who was ranked the No. 22 recruit in the nation at one point.
Medlock grew as a player with Link Academy and that had to make Izzo feel a lot better about handing him the keys to the backup point guard position.
The incoming freshman’s role was almost astronomically different than he expected, but with Fears returning, disaster was avoided. Medlock will no longer be staring down the barrel at 30-plus minutes per game as the team’s PG1, but he’ll be backing up the best point guard in college basketball.
That’s still one of the most important roles on the entire team.
What will Carlos Medlock Jr.‘s role be in 2026-27?
Like I said above, Medlock is going to play the role of Fears’ primary backup which is important because he’s going to be in charge of running point when the junior point guard needs a break or is in some early foul trouble — which we know is inevitable.
Medlock is on the smaller side of things with a 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame so I wouldn’t exactly call him “Big Ten ready” but he’s going to have to grow up quickly with non-conference matchups against Duke, Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Seeing those opponents early on in his collegiate career should help his progression early on.
I can’t see Fears playing 35-plus minutes per game because he’ll be completely burned out come March, so that means Medlock will need to see the floor for around 10-plus minutes.
There’s also a chance we see both on the floor at the same time, but that will be on rare occasions when the Spartans need a couple of ball-handlers to handle some full-court press scenarios. He’s going to play 10-15 minutes off the bench (likely closer to 10) and he’ll be somewhere in the ballpark of 5-6 points and 1-2 assists per game.
Although he is a point guard, he’s more of a scorer first and that might create some fun lineups with him at a smaller two and Fears running the point.
If we can see Medlock’s craftiness on display and him shooting around 35 percent from three, Izzo is going to have a tough time keeping him off the court. Still, a small role as a true freshman — yet still important — and then he’s going to assume the starting job as a sophomore when Fears likely leaves.
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