Jaden Akins practicing, still questionable for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – Sophomore guard Jaden Akins is questionable for Michigan State ahead of it’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern on Sunday according to Spartan basketball coach Tom Izzo, who briefed local media after practice on Friday afternoon.
Akins, who has missed the last four games after reaggravating a foot injury that sidelined him for close two months last summer, was on the court for most of Michigan State’s Friday practice. That is an improvement from where he was at two nights ago at Notre Dame, where he got up shots and did some ballhandling drills but did not go through the lay-up line in the final minutes prior to the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
“Depending on how he does tomorrow, and how he feels tomorrow morning, then we’ll make the decision whether he is going to play or not,” said Izzo. “Our chances are better now than they were last week.”
Akins is a key playmaker for Michigan State, and Izzo has made it exceedingly clear that he is willing to take some lumps in November and December to get the best version of Akins for the heart of the 20-game Big Ten season and the post-season beyond that.
“He is little bit leery as you can expect,” Izzo said. “If it happens once, that’s one thing, when it happens a second time, you are a little bit leery. He is a tough kid, and he wants to play, but there is the reality of it, and we went through that with Josh (Langford). Player’s have got to learn and it’s not easy to feel those little tweaks and say, ‘that’s just scar tissue,’ or ‘that’s just the muscles getting better.’ It’s always in the back of your mind and he’s got to get through that, and he will.”
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With Akins out of the playing group, classmate Pierre Brooks has been forced to play more minutes. At 6-foot-6, 220, Brooks is a bigger body and better spot-up shooter than Akins. Brooks, however, has been a defensively liability at times. Brooks has struggled the most defensively in games where he is playing heavy minutes.
Michigan State’s defensive issues during the past four games extend beyond the absence of Akins. The Spartans also miss the presence of senior wing forward Malik Hall, who is Michigan State’s most versatile defensive player. Even if Akins returns for the Big Ten opener, the Spartans will still miss the length and versatility of Hall.
“I spent the whole day yesterday watching us pre- and post-injury defensively and offensively,” Izzo said. “I called him (Hall) late last night and told him players are just like coaches, you’re not going to appreciate me until you leave, but maybe I didn’t appreciate you enough until you were gone.”
With Hall still weeks away from returning from injury, getting Akins back is still a big step toward normalcy regardless of how many minutes he plays in his return to the court. Izzo estimates that Hall should be back soon after Christmas.
