One Thing for Each of MSU's Returning Forwards To Improve
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Michigan State has a lot of returning talent returning next season.
The Spartans are bringing back seven scholarship players from last year's roster, assuming Jeremy Fears Jr. withdraws from the NBA Draft. Three of those returnees are guards, while the rest are forwards. The needed improvements from the guards came down on Saturday; here's what the forwards need to improve.
Coen Carr: Three-Point Shooting
The biggest thing between Coen Carr and a long NBA career is a decent three-point shot. He started taking threes with some significant volume for the first time last season, averaging 2.2 attempts per contest, but the percentage only reached 27.6%.
Even though most teams were relatively fine giving Carr space on the perimeter, Carr still averaged 12.0 points per game last season, which was a jump from 8.1 the year before. His numbers as a rebounder and a passer also improved.
Carr's ceiling is still as high as anyone's in college basketball, thanks to his off-the-charts athleticism. An NBA team will probably give Carr a shot in 2027 off of that alone. Wings need to be able to shoot three-pointers these days to play in the NBA, though. You can get there with amazing defense, like the Pistons' Ausar Thompson, but Carr isn't in that tier defensively.
This also goes a bit for Carr's mid-range shot. He took the occasional off-the-dribble mid-range jumper last season. It's not a shot the analytics are probably a huge fan of, but Carr's form has gotten better. It can become a more significant part of his game next season.
Kaleb Glenn: Free-Throw Shooting
One big storyline next season will be how Kaleb Glenn looks after he missed the entire 2025-26 season with a knee injury. Glenn transferred to MSU from Florida Atlantic after averaging 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game with the Owls in '24-25. He also spent a year at Louisville before that, coming out of high school as a 4-star prospect ranked 85th overall in the class of 2023 on the 247Sports Composite.
Additional shooting is one of the big things Glenn will provide. He made 41.0% of his threes during his season at FAU. He can also find other ways to score, making 61.3% of his two-point shots with the Owls. Interestingly, Glenn's free-throw shooting doesn't match, though; he's made just 62.9% of his shots at the charity stripe during his career.
Cam Ward: Offensive Polish
Rising sophomore Cam Ward will just need to develop his offensive game as a whole. He's shown several intangibles already in his time at Michigan State: high motor, rebounding, and good defense.
Ward averaged 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and was a player the Spartans needed on the court, but the next step is to improve that offensive game.
Ward finished last season with an offensive box plus/minus of minus-0.5. That was only behind Denham Wojcik among scholarship players last year. Ward got many of his points from his high-motor style and his status as one of the team's better rebounders.
Being able to add some moves in the post, a better jump hook, and improvement at the free-throw line (51.0% last season) will be musts for him moving forward.
Jesse McCulloch: Rebounding
One player with a really big summer ahead of himself is rising redshirt sophomore Jesse McCulloch. He got phased out of MSU's rotation in late February and March this past season, but the Spartans are going to need a bigger role from McCulloch this coming season.
Rebounding will be a big must for McCulloch next season. He's 6-foot-11, but his presence on the glass isn't quite as obvious as it is with his similarly-sized teammates. McCulloch grabbed 7.0 rebounds per 40 minutes last season, which was the lowest number among players who didn't largely play either point guard or shooting guard.
That number has to increase this coming season, especially as McCulloch battles for minutes with Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke and incoming freshman Ethan Taylor. Bonke grabbed 12.9 rebounds per 40 minutes with the 49ers in 2025-26.
Defend, rebound, and run are still the pillars of the Spartans' program. The centers that stick to those principles are going to get the most minutes.
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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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