Hoops season is almost upon us, and Michigan State held its annual media day on Thursday with Tom Izzo speaking about the upcoming campaign and some of his key players.
We already know what we should expect from guys like Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Coen Carr, but there are some returning players who have flown under the radar this offseason. Guys like Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch are back after quiet freshman seasons (McCulloch redshirted and Teng played sparingly), and they’re going to help out quite a bit.
McCulloch has been raved about as an underrated big who is going to exceed expectations, while Teng was touted as a sharpshooter out of high school, and that’s exactly what the Spartans need.
Izzo gave an intriguing update on Teng during Thursday’s media day in East Lansing, calling him the best pure shooter on the team.
Coach Tom Izzo at the podium for MSU's media day, calls Kur Teng "probably the best pure shooter on our team."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 16, 2025
While that may not seem like a huge accomplishment considering the team shot poorly from deep last year and the best shooters have left, but a lightly-used sophomore guard stepping up as the team’s best shooters just gives Michigan State another legitimate threat on offense.
Fears and Carr have been working on their jumpers this offseason, Cooper has even cracked into the 3-point shooting game, and Trey Fort is another shooting option, but Teng may be the guy from deep.
If Michigan State needs a shooter this season, that means Teng will be playing big minutes. I see Fort being a solid shooter, I can see Jordan Scott making some from deep, and I think Fears, Carr, Kohler, and Cooper will make some, but having a knockdown shooter like Teng is going to take pressure off of everyone else.
All the Teng believes have to feel vindicated right now.