The 2024-25 season has gone much better than many Michigan State basketball fans had expected and many experts projected. The Spartans are 14-2 through the halfway point in the season and they still have a long way to go, but a Big Ten title feels attainable for Tom Izzo and Co. for the first time in five years.
The best Michigan State teams have one thing in common: elite point guard play.
While they also have other things in common like elite rebounding, effective transition offense, and lockdown defense, having an elite point guard is a requirement for teams that expect to make runs.
Just look at the teams with Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine, Cassius Winston, Drew Neitzel, Kalin Lucas, and Mateen Cleaves. They all saw success because they were all elite point guards.
It seems as if Michigan State has another on its hands in Jeremy Fears Jr.
The redshirt freshman missed most of his freshman season because of a gunshot wound suffered during his Christmas break back home in a scary encounter but he's back to 100 percent and you can tell his confidence is growing because he's playing the best basketball of his Spartan career in recent weeks.
Fears is also a big reason that Michigan State has been able to turn things around in a hurry after a disappointing 2023-24 season.
But while Izzo has been impressed with his point guard and thinks he has done enough to earn some praise, he is still expecting more from Fears. He spoke about that to the media on Monday.
Izzo says Jeremy Fears has continued to develop his voice and leadership as the season has gone on. Says he's still looking for Fears to keep the ball moving consistently over the course of a game, but he likes the way he's defending.
— SpartanMag.com (@TheSpartanMag) January 13, 2025
Izzo likes the way Fears is defending and he has been constantly praising his development both as a player and a leader but he still wants Fears to keep the ball moving consistently. He's done a solid job of that, averaging 6.4 assists per game which is good for 15th nationally, but Izzo knows he can do more and he's going to push him to do just that.
This team has an incredibly high ceiling and Fears is a huge reason for that.
You know Izzo has a legendary point guard when he's playing well and the Hall of Fame coach is still finding ways that he can get more out of him.