Cam Ward's Polarizing Performance After Wrist Injury

Michigan State suffered its first loss of the year against Duke, and although it was a close game ending with a final score of 66-60, the team was left with a bad taste in their mouths.

The team was less than desirable in their shooting numbers, and some players who had been given higher roles on the team failed to score once.

Cam Ward, Michigan State — Michigan State's Cam Ward celebrates after an Arkansas foul during the second half on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some of those players had been given higher roles because of the absence of Cam Ward after a wrist injury kept him out of the Spartans' match against Iowa, not long before they played the Blue Devils.

The thing is, he was able to come back and play once again for the Spartans, and the initial hope was that he would shine as a bright spot for the team like Jaxon Kohler.

So how did Ward perform? Should there be anything to worry about, and was he able to bounce back properly against Duke?

How Cam Ward Did Well Against Duke

Ward's time on the court was limited, with only ten minutes being allocated to him, and the plays he was able to make were small because of that.

However, even though some teammates of his, such as Coen Carr and the aforementioned Kohler, were ripping off rebounds left and right, Ward was still able to grab one board for himself.

Because he was still recovering from his injury, it is a very good thing that he is already getting back to form by getting the ball back for his but he will need to keep improving in the coming weeks to lead his team to a win.

He especially will have to get better with shooting, as that was the biggest issue that Ward had when coming back onto the court.

How Cam Ward Did Poorly Against Duke

Shooting was an all-around issue for MSU against the Blue Devils, and it is the main reason why they lost by making under a third of their shots on average.

Yet Ward did even worse than his teammates while shaking off the pain that came with the injury, as he attempted four shots and did not make a single one.

The troubles can be attributed to his recovery from the game against Duke, but against the Spartans' next opponent, Penn State, he has to improve.

Cam Ward came back from injury and did pretty well for the little time on court he was given, but he must improve as he moves past the injury for the team to win.

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