Predicting MSU Basketball's Stats Leaders for Upcoming Season
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Michigan State basketball's next roster feels pretty set.
The Spartans had their biggest headline of the offseason on Wednesday, as All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. withdrew from the NBA Draft. He'll be coming back to MSU for his redshirt junior season. It will also be Tom Izzo's 32nd season as the head coach.
There is still an open roster spot remaining, but all the minutes in the next rotation seem to be filled. Here is my best guess at the leaders in each major statistic for Michigan State this coming season.
Points/Scoring: Fears
Fears might pop up a few times here. He was MSU's leading scorer last season at 15.2 points per game. A part of me actually thinks Fears' scoring output might drop a bit next season because he'll have more scoring help around him this season than last, but he still feels like the best bet right now.
The big thing that would take Fears' ability as a scorer to the next level is his three-point shot. His mark of 32.1% last season might be the main reason he is still playing for Michigan State rather than waiting to be drafted.
Fears got much better in the mid-range game and as a free-throw shooter in 2025-26, though. It feels like his jump shot is right there. If it does get there, it will do great things for the Spartans in the pick-and-roll. Teams wouldn't be able to go under screens (Fears will shoot an open three), and going over, hedging, or icing wouldn't be great either because of his abilities as a passer.
Rebounds: Anton Bonke
This will probably be a pretty safe bet. Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke is going to be the tallest player in MSU program history at 7'2". He technically withdrew from the NBA Draft on Wednesday as well.
Height alone would make Bonke the leader here. He averaged 8.3 rebounds per contest last season with the 49ers. His total rebound percentage of 19.6% finished 13th in the country, according to CBB Reference.
Michigan State is replacing its two best rebounders from last season, too. Jaxon Kohler led the team with 8.9 boards last season; Carson Cooper averaged 7.1 to be second. Coen Carr is the leading returning rebounder at 5.4 rebounds per game last year.
Assists: Fears
This one is hardly even a question. What everyone will really be questioning is not whether Fears will be leading the Spartans as a distributor, but just how high his assist totals will be this season.
His season at point guard was historic in '25-26. Fears led the country at 9.4 assists per game. His 328 total assists were the most in a single season in Michigan State history, and it was only second nationally to Purdue's Braden Smith's 345.
KenPom recorded Fears' assist rate at 53.1%, which measures how many of your teammates' made field goals are off assists from you when you're on the court. Nobody else in the country was above 46.0%. Only eight players in the nation (Fears included) were even above 40%.
Again, the hope is that Izzo and MSU won't need to put so much weight on Fears next season, but everything about the upcoming Spartans on the court starts with him.
Steals: Jordan Scott
This one is more of a gamble, but I think Jordan Scott could be the one to lead MSU in steals this coming season. He was second on the team to Fears last year, but I do think a bigger role awaits Scott as a sophomore, which could lead to him taking the ball away a bit more often.
His steals per 40 minutes (1.4) were already pretty close to what Fears got (1.6). Scott should get more minutes than he did last year, though. He's got longer arms at 6'8" than Fears, and Michigan State hasn't been afraid to give him tough defensive assignments against primary ball-handlers.
Blocks: Bonke
Bonke should also lead in blocks in addition to his rebounding. He averaged 1.5 rejections per game last season with Charlotte. Carr is the Spartans' leading returning shot-blocker at just 0.8 a contest. Cooper led the team with 1.0 per game.
Bonke's presence in the paint alone will just give him more opportunities to turn away shots than others. Again, being 7'2" will also help him.
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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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