Trey Fort was brought to Michigan State this past offseason to add a scoring touch to the backcourt after the Spartans lost Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, and Tre Holloman to the transfer portal.
The Samford transfer averaged 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, shooting about 45 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three. He was one of the most improved players from the mid-major ranks, almost tripling the production from his sophomore year.
Everyone who followed the transfer portal closely praised the addition, hinting that Fort fit the Tom Izzo mold and all he needed to do was improve his defense and he’d be really good.
During Moneyball over the summer, it was apparent that Fort was going to be that pure scorer that the Spartans were missing after all the offseason attrition. While you have to take Moneyball results with a grain of salt because there’s essentially no defense being played, he was dropping 50 points like it was nothing. He was showing signs of being a legit No. 1 option.
When the season started, Izzo alluded to the fact that Fort needed to improve his defense before he can become the scorer that he believed he could be.
Fort played at least 15 minutes in each of his first four games with the Spartans, averaging 7.5 shots and 7.3 points per game. It looked like he just needed to gel with his new team, but the potential was obvious. He was shooting 50 percent inside the arc but just 27 percent from three. He just needed to find his stroke — it was just coughed up to him being a streaky shooter, which he is.
After putting up zero stats in 13 minutes against Iowa, Fort saw his minutes disappear. Since the Duke game on Dec. 6, Fort has played more than 10 minutes just four times.
His role has essentially disappeared.
Trey Fort’s comeback story will be sweet
Due to a season-ending injury to Divine Ugochukwu and the fact that the team is in the middle of an offensive drought, Fort sees that closed door begin to crack open. There’s an opportunity for him to step in, improve his defense, help Michigan State’s offense down the stretch, and become a legit 15-20 minute-per-night guy since Divine’s 15.1 minutes per game are now up for grabs.
Unfortunately, he has yet to sieze that opportunity.
In the game that Ugochukwu got injured, Fort played 15 minutes and scored 12 big points in a near-miraculous comeback at Minnesota. Everyone assumed that had earned him more clock.
Not the case (yet).
Fort played just seven minutes in that overtime win over Illinois, hitting his only shot attempt from 3-point range. He then played just six minutes in that blowout loss to Wisconsin, going 0-for-3 from the floor and getting glued to the bench by Izzo for most of the game.
In need of scoring after that Wisconsin disaster and the Minnesota and Michigan debacles, Fort is going to have to be that guy for Michigan State. Jordan Scott has shown that he can shoulder some of the offensive load when Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears, or Jaxon Kohler are struggling, but if he’s not on his game, either, Michigan State needs someone else off the bench other than Kur Teng who can score.
That’ll be Fort.
Am I speaking this into existence? Maybe, but I truly believe that he’s too talented and too important to be sitting on the bench for 35 minutes a game — especially now that Ugochukwu’s out.
Fort is going to be a guy to watch in the final six regular-season games and the postseason. I wouldn’t be shocked if he became a fan favorite and hero in a couple of wins, completely flipping the script on his Michigan State chapter.