MSU Senior Akins Needs to Finish Strong Down the Stretch

As his time as a Spartan nears a close, Michigan State senior Jaden Akins needs to finish strong down the stretch.

Michigan State's Jaden Akins makes a 3-pointer agianst Indiana during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the regular season is starting to wind down, the Michigan State Spartans have a chance to finish at the top of the Big Ten standings. With that being said, MSU will need its most productive players at their best down the stretch, particularly senior guard Jaden Akins.

Akins still leads the Spartans in average points per game, but with the recent success of freshman guard Jase Richardson, the lead has become narrow. One thing that has jumped off the page when looking at Akins' stats is that he has not been as efficient from the field as of late.

In the month of February, Akins is averaging 10.5 points per game with an increase in assists in 27.4 minutes of play. His points average stands at just 12.7 -- at one point, it was just above 14 points per game.

Akins' scoring hasn't been a huge necessity this month, especially with Richardson leading the way, but in what could be his final games in his collegiate career, it would be nice to see if Akins can finish how he started. In 28 games this year, he has been the leading scorer nine different times, five of those came within the first two months of the season.

As previously mentioned, Akins has struggled from the field lately. On MSU's current four-game winning streak, Akins has made 12 of 41 shots, which gives him a 29.2% success rate.

Akins has also struggled to find the bottom of the net when shooting from deep, only making two 3-pointers in his last 11 shots taken. One of the two shots made beyond the arc came against the Maryland Terrapins in a huge moment in the game, so it's better late than never.

MSU and Akins have three games left on the campaign before the madness begins in March, and when it comes down to it, Akins has been the heart and soul of Spartan basketball over the last four seasons; it would be a cherry on top for him to succeed down the line one more time for MSU.

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