Michigan State basketball is nearing the halfway point of the regular season, and to say they're exceeding expectations so far would be accurate. Sitting at 10-2 and atop the Big Ten standings, MSU was recently moved up to No. 18 in the AP poll after starting the unranked season.
There have been several major contributors for this team, as it is often regarded as one of Tom Izzo's deepest rosters he's ever had. With that, I thought it would be fun to look at some guys who might have some NBA buzz in the future. With the talent on this team, there are bound to be some looks from NBA teams, but five guys stand out to me the most.
5. Jeremy Fears Jr.
Jeremy Fears had his freshman season taken away from him, which derailed his trajectory a bit as an NBA hopeful. Luckily for Spartan fans, he's been about as advertised. As a whole, we haven't seen a ton of scoring ability from Fears, but he shows in flashes. He had his best offensive performance on Sunday, scoring a career-high 13 points and dishing out eight assists.
Tied a career-high 13 points and added 8 assists ✅@jeremy_fears pic.twitter.com/4ZeyXE42t6
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) December 23, 2024
Even without the high-end scoring output, Fears is one of the better facilitators in college basketball, averaging six assists per game, and he is an active defender leading the team in steals per game. He should translate fairly well to the NBA as a pass-first point guard, similar to that Rajon Rondo or Ricky Rubio style of game.