Rumors are swirling right now in the Michigan State basketball back-channels. There are talks of strong interest from the Spartans' side when it comes to five-star recently-decommitted combo guard Darius Adams.
And the fit would make complete sense.
As the rumors grow louder, I felt like it would be a good time to explain just why Adams would be the perfect fit for Michigan State, especially now that the transfer portal window has closed and the Spartans are no longer in danger of losing anyone else on the roster.
It feels like Adams decommitted at the perfect time, especially since Michigan State is looking for some backcourt help with Jase Richardson, Jaden Akins, and Tre Holloman departing. That's a lot of minutes to account for next season with only Jeremy Fears Jr. and Kur Teng coming back -- and Teng didn't play much outside of blowouts.
Tom Izzo went out and landed Trey Fort from Samford to help with that and he's likely to be the team's starting shooting guard, but the Spartans could use one more piece.
Why not Adams?
As one of the top guards in the entire 2025 class, Adams has the ability to handle point guard duties for 10, or so, minutes per game while spending the rest of his time off the ball. The Spartans need someone to come in and spell Fears when he's tired or gets into foul trouble. Adams is the perfect fit. He could play that Richardson role where he comes in, runs the point, hunts his own shots, and draws attention from defenders to pop his teammates open.
Also, who wouldn't want to follow Richardson's footsteps as he came to Michigan State without a carved out role and turned into a lottery pick in Izzo's system. That's a clear selling point.
On top of that, he wouldn't have to be the go-to scorer but he would have the opportunity to become that. The Spartans have some guys who could be plus scorers, but no one is standing out as 'the guy' and a young star like Adams has to like that. He could come in like Jase and be the alpha.
The fit is there, the role is open, and it only makes sense that Adams comes in, takes Richardson's place, and the Spartans don't skip a beat next season.
Adams could legitimately be the missing piece to a Final Four run.