Why MSU's Cam Ward is a Player to Watch Moving Forward
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- One Michigan State player is being challenged by his coaches and teammates to step up.
Freshman Cam Ward has been a vital part of 12th-ranked MSU's 14-2 start to the season, but the current belief around the program seems to be that he is capable of more. Not in the way where he's performing below expectations, but in the push-him-to-the-next-step kind of way.
"We've been on Cam lately, because we think he hasn't been playing as well as he can play," senior center Carson Cooper said after the Spartans' 76-66 win over Northwestern on Thursday. "For him, I'm kind of trying to tell him about how I had to play when I was a freshman, and that was --- you've just got to be a dawg defensively, as a rebounder. You can't let your offense... You might get a dud here or there, but you can't let that get in the way of playing hard and playing defense.
"That's ultimately what's gonna keep him on the floor. I've been trying to get on him about that, but he's been awesome. He's been great the last couple days, a lot more dialed in."
Cam Ward's Impact
The impact Ward has on the court is one that is not encapsulated well with box score stats. Through 15 career games, Ward is averaging 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. One breezing over Michigan State's team-wide statistics would brush over Ward's name relatively easily.
Ward is one of those players who one has to watch with their own two eyes to see the impact he can have for MSU on any given night. The former Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year scored seven points and had seven rebounds during the Spartans' last game. That's a decent stat line, but it doesn't immediately show that Ward had one of the biggest plays of the game, grabbing an offensive rebound and then converting an and-one that helped swing the momentum in Michigan State's direction.
"Tonight, Cam Ward, I thought brought something to the table," Tom Izzo said after the game Thursday. "He looked more like he did in that Arkansas game, and I think you're gonna see Cam just continue to get better."
That game against the Razorbacks is the glimpse and reason MSU wants more from Ward. The Spartans would have lost that game without him. Ward scored 18 points and 10 rebounds during that contest, both season-highs.
Part of the reason Ward maybe hasn't entirely replicated that performance is because of the wrist injury he's been dealing with. It sidelined him for Michigan State's conference opener against Iowa, and Ward has been playing with some form of added protection around his right hand since. He's nearly back to full health, though, and has just had tape around it lately, rather than a cast.
"It's been healing faster than they thought," Ward said a bit before the Northwestern game. "Now we're just starting to gain progress and gain momentum."
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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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