Kohler's Near-Boring Consistency Deserves MSU's Appreciation
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The big topic of Tuesday night was about Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr.'s big scoring night.
Doing so is completely fair. He scored a career-high 23 points and dished out 10 assists during 12th-ranked MSU's 81-60 victory over Indiana. Fears has been the engine of the Spartans this year. He's been the team's MVP for this game and for the season as a whole.
But also nestled in there is the quiet, ho-hum double-double for senior forward Jaxon Kohler. He had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals, and yet it felt like the performance barely got on the radar.
This is just what Kohler does now. Basketball players all have good games and bad games, but it hasn't felt like Kohler's ceiling and his floor are too far apart. It makes it hard to shout him out at times because Kohler is rolling out pretty similar statlines each night. Kohler is averaging 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, and he's not really receiving enough attention for it.
Is Kohler... Kinda Boring?
Let's look at Kohler's last three games, all of which were against Big Ten opponents at home. He had 16 points and eight rebounds against USC, 15 points and eight rebounds against Northwestern, and now 16 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana. There isn't a trend to point out there; the graph barely moves.
The human mind is naturally going to look for what is different --- whether it be good or bad --- when looking through a box score. Seeing Fears score 23 points is the thing that sticks out, because Fears is a pass-first player who averages 12.8 points per game. Kohler averages 14 and 10, so his 16 and 10 game against the Hoosiers is, objectively, pretty average for him.
But hold on. Scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds is a pretty good individual game of basketball. Kohler did it with efficiency, too, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 at the free-throw line.
A lot of attention in sports and from the media will go to those who stray away from the mean. Who played good? Who played bad? Just as Fears is now receiving plenty of positive press, he was facing negative press after shooting 0-for-10 against Duke. That's not inherently wrong; that's just how it goes. Do you remember Fears scoring 15 points and having seven assists a few games ago against USC? Probably not.
Kohler hasn't given many opportunities to rave at an individual performance, yet he's still the leading scorer and rebounder on the team. Chatter probably happened after he had 17 points and 18 rebounds against San Jose State or after he had 16 and 15 against Colgate, but there is a lid on that, due to the opponents.
The consistency is legitimately staggering. Kohler has scored between 10 and 20 points in every single game this year so far. There hasn't been a game where he's been completely contained, but he hasn't gone crazy yet, either. Kohler has had between 7 and 13 rebounds in 14 of the Spartans' 17 games as well.
It's boredom in the best way. People don't care too much when the stars do what they're supposed to do, but it's been a long, four-year path for Kohler to reach "star" status. He patiently waited his turn to become one of the team's true focal points, and he's taking advantage.
So, next time you peruse a Michigan State box score, appreciate those "average" performances from top players. It takes a lot for a double-double to be considered that.
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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.
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