Two positions Michigan State needs to address in the transfer portal
The NCAA transfer portal is officially open, and college basketball teams across America are gearing up for the future of their programs. Michigan State is included in the mix, needing to bolster their roster in a couple of keyways in order to get themselves back to contending for a final four.
Tom Izzo has done an incredible job retaining his roster and getting a plethora of strong guards and wing players to lead his roster into the 2026-27 season. While the backcourt looks strong, there are some obvious, glaring needs in the front court.
With the front court having holes, the Spartans are going to need to use the transfer portal in order to sure up these roster deficiencies, something that has been reported that Izzo is prepared to do.
Here, we are identifying the critical needs the Spartans will have to fill this offseason:
Current Roster
Now, we know that the frontcourt needs bolstering, but before we identify the exact needs, let's take a look at the current state of the unit.
-
Centers: Jesse McCulloch (RS Soph), Ethan Taylor (FR)
-
PF: Cam Ward (Soph), Julius Avent (FR)
-
Extras: Coen Carr (SR), Kaleb Glenn (RS Soph)
Here, it is obvious that the Spartans have holes in their depth. With a very young unit, unless Carr or Glenn move up into the four spot, adding veteran help into this group is going to be critical. Adding Taylor, who is a touted freshman, looks awesome on paper, but he is more of a development project than it appears, similar to Xavier Booker.
Center
Losing Carson Cooper will be massive blow to this roster, and in the most respectable way possible, McCulloch and Taylor are not ready for a starting role. The Spartans have aspirations to play in a Detroit Final Four, and if this roster is going to be at a level that can get them there, it can almost be expected for the Spartans to get one or even two people at the center spot.
This will be the position the Spartans spend their big-time money on and really need to go out and get themselves a high-quality player in order to fill this need. After the high-quality player, a mid-major senior veteran could be on the docket to stabilize the depth in the unit.
Stretch 4
Whether it be Jaxon Kohler, Joey Hauser, Kenny Goins or the many that came before them, the Michigan State offense needs a player at the four spot that can stretch the floor and shoot the three ball.
Cam Ward is more than capable of taking over the starting reigns at the four, with a big freshman to sophomore offseason on deck, but he has an obvious deficiency shooting the basketball. Izzo would be wise in adding a stretch four to come off of the bench, that can change the look on the offensive end.
Carr and Glenn are potentially capable of sliding up into the four spot, and provide some shooting there, but both are a touch undersized which could be problematic in certain matchups.
It is not a "must-get" and can be more of a luxury, but if this team is going to try and compete for a national championship, it is an addition that should be explored.
Contact/Follow us @ The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Rex_Linzy
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Two positions Michigan State needs to address in the transfer portal
