If you watched Michigan State basketball's exhibition opener against Bowling Green and skipped the UConn game, you probably read this title and laughed.
Tom Izzo saw this coming, however.
Jordan Scott played a whopping six minutes against the Falcons last week, and he finished with more fouls (2) than points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks combined (1). It wasn't the best outing for the true freshman, but it was his first action against players with different-colored jerseys at the collegiate level.
Scott was just getting his feet wet, but it was clear that he was just out there trying not to make mistakes instead of really playing freely.
Against UConn, he played much more freely, finishing with six points, four rebounds, and three steals in 15 minutes, shooting 2-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-3 from deep. It was good to see him out there looking comfortable with the ball in his hands, and he didn't shy away from looking for his shot.
On top of that, Scott was all over the floor, making hustle play after hustle play.
That's how you get into the good graces of Izzo -- you put your body on the line for the team and you do it consistently. Scott was out there diving for loose balls, wrestling away rebounds, and taking shots without hesitation. He looked like he had been playing college ball for years.
So with the team still trying to gel together in the preseason with an important 2025-26 campaign about to start, Scott looks like a guy who could surprise some people and play big minutes.
While I don't think he'll be the sixth man (that will likely be Kur Teng or Divine Ugochukwu), I do believe he could be the first wing off the bench.
Izzo said after the game that Scott impressed him after he came in and made his presence felt, and even compared him to Max Christie (again). That Christie comparison was a little shocking in the offseason, but after seeing Scott play with confidence against the No. 4 team in the country on the road on Tuesday, the vision is there.