3 Interesting Lineup Possibilities MSU Could Use This Season
In this story:
One thing that makes this next Michigan State basketball team so interesting is the wide variety of lineups it can use.
There are at least two solid options at every position for the Spartans right now, and the team's rotation could theoretically go 12 players deep. The depth and the lack of a glaring fatal flaw are big reasons MSU hopes it can be the last team standing at Ford Field next April. These are a few interesting things I could see Tom Izzo trying out, at least for a little bit:
Carlos Medlock Jr. at Shooting Guard
Something that might have to happen this season is seeing Jeremy Fears Jr. and Carlos Medlock Jr. on the court at the same time. With good health, Fears is probably going to lead the Spartans in minutes played again this season. He's the face of the program and was a Second Team All-American last season, after all.
Anything less than 30 minutes per game, especially once the Big Ten schedule rolls around, would feel like mismanagement. That puts Medlock in an odd situation. There really just isn't going to be a ton of minutes ready-made for him at point guard, but my early impressions of Medlock haven't been of a player who will get capped out at 10 minutes per game.
This means Izzo might have to get a little creative to give the share of minutes Medlock might end up deserving. The simplest way to do this would be to bring out a two-point guard lineup for a couple of minutes per game. Fears can keep doing what he does at point guard, and Medlock would have to focus more on some off-ball movement in a shift to shooting guard.
MSU would most likely have to do this if it ever wants to just go small-ball. Maybe Izzo looks for quick offense during a scoring drought; maybe the scout on the opponent says they just struggle against small lineups. Regardless, this feels like something worth trying, especially given Michigan State's lack of consistency at the two last season.
Cam Ward at Center
Staying on the small-ball side of things, there could be times the Spartans could try Cam Ward out at center a bit. He pretty much only played power forward last season, but Ward could make it work at 6'9".
The jump Ward makes as a sophomore is going to be a real determining factor for Michigan State this season. He showed a ton of effort and heart whenever he was on the court last season. Ward is hardly the most polished guy out there, but there are intangibles that made him a key part of MSU's rotation last year.
If there is a place on paper where the Spartans could fall short, it might be interior defense. Michigan State has 7'2" Anton Bonke and 7'1" Ethan Taylor, but neither of them is known as a total defensive stalwart in the middle, though I do think Bonke has bulked up a bit this offseason.
Ward can be a solid defensive option at the five, especially when going up against teams that don't have a tall center. His defensive rating of 100.7, according to CBB Reference, is the best among returning players for Michigan State, and ranked only behind co-centers Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper last season.
Ethan Taylor at Power Forward
Perhaps the wildest possibility would be putting Taylor at power forward while Bonke holds down the center spot. MSU had twin bigs in its starting lineup all of last season, but having Taylor and Bonke out there would take it to another level. The spacing is the natural concern here, but Bonke is a good enough shooter that Michigan State could potentially make it work.
The Spartans would probably have to go smaller in their backcourt as well. Something along the lines of Fears-Jordan Scott-Kaleb Glenn-Taylor-Bonke would bring some interesting possibilities. Not only would Izzo have two seven-footers on the court simultaneously, but he would also have four players capable of hitting shots on the perimeter.
Obviously, this would give Michigan State a pretty absurd amount of size. One wonders how well Taylor could guard those smaller than him, especially if it's someone who can stretch him out to the perimeter, but athleticism is one of Taylor's strengths.
He's more of a raw prospect, but some of those uncoachable things, like size and athleticism, are why Taylor is coming to MSU as a high-4-star prospect.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika