One Area MSU PG Fears Jr Must Improve
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Michigan State heads to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in search of its 11th win of the season.
The Spartans have never lost to Oakland in 22 games, and they aren’t looking to make Saturday the first time in the loss column. MSU enters as a major favorite over the Horizon League squad.
Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe have been friends for many years, and they both enjoy the matchup each season. Kampe’s Golden Grizzlies have given the Spartans scares in recent years, so it would not be surprising to see Oakland play up to its competition.
The Spartans have played great basketball this season, led by point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. The redshirt sophomore leads Division I in total assists and assists per game.
He is an excellent passer, and while his scoring ability has been his biggest question mark this season, there are elements of his facilitation that still need work. The biggest example of this is his need to improve against zone defenses.
Opposing coaches often deploy this simple defensive tactic against MSU, and the teams with more noticeable talent cause problems for the Spartans’ half-court offense.
Fears does a good job of reading defenses and finding open teammates, but he is less effective against a zone.
Jeremy Fears Jr. : The Floor General
Watching MSU’s half-court offense, it often feels like no one is moving with purpose or cutting to make something happen. The Spartans often pass the ball around the perimeter until someone slips loose for a shot, or a guard up top dumps the ball into the post for a high-percentage look.
While not all of this is on Fears, he should direct his teammates to move and cut more effectively, and he should also look to score against zones himself.
If he can develop a 15-foot jump shot inside of a zone, the Spartans will unlock several elements of their half-court offense. Right now, defenses are unafraid to leave Fears open for jump shots, focusing on other players who threaten them more on offense.
Fears also needs his teammates to help him in the half-court, as more big men must flash to the middle of the zone, opening things up for the rest of the offense. As long as Fears can recognize his first read against this defensive strategy, the rest will fall into place.
Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies will deploy a zone against the Spartans, so Fears must know how to attack it. If he does, MSU should cruise, but if he doesn’t, the Spartans will get another test from Oakland.
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Carter Landis studied journalism at Michigan State University, where I graduated in May of 2022. He is currently a sports reporter for a local television station and is a writer covering the Michigan State Spartans