Cam Ward has had an up-and-down freshman season, but it’s been overall successful for the first-year power forward from Upper Marlboro, Md.
Ward has battled a wrist injury, some shooting woes because of that injury, and foul trouble to have a solid first regular season at Michigan State. Although his numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, Ward’s impact is felt immediately when he’s on the floor. Tom Izzo gives the freshman 15-20 minutes per game for a reason: he believes in Ward.
According to Spartans Illustrated, Izzo made a bold prediction regarding his freshman big man for next season. Izzo said that Ward is going to have a big jump in performance next year.
It’s tough to not put stock in Ward’s future in the green and white, and it’s because he’s the epitome of an OKG (our kind of guy). He’s tough, rebounds the ball at a high level, and is borderline unstoppable when he gets a 1-on-1 matchup in the post. Ward’s toughness makes him the perfect Spartan and, like Izzo, I fully expect him to become a star as soon as next season.
Cam Ward’s ceiling is limitless
There’s only one key thing missing from Ward’s game that might hold him back from being a future NBA player, but it’s also something I trust Izzo to work on heavily: shooting.
I could also say that Ward needs to work on defending without fouling because he has been hacking a little too much lately. If he can add a consistent jumper (I expect him to with his wrist getting back to full strength) and work on cutting his fouls down, he’s going to be a really, really good post player for the Spartans.
As a freshman, Ward is averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and those numbers are actually pretty good for a first-year guy who’s been battling wrist issues.
I expect those numbers to jump to somewhere in the 10-points, 7-rebound range as a sophomore. If he can do that and add at least a mid-range jumper, he’s going to be the perfect replacement for Jaxon Kohler in the post.
The future is bright for the freshman big man.