Michigan State’s top 5 current NBA players
EAST LANSING, Mich. (BVM) — Another NBA season has just tipped off, and this year’s college basketball season is right around the corner.
Despite a down season from the Michigan State Spartans last year, the perennial Big Ten power has brought in plenty of talent to compete at a high level this season, looking to win an 11th Big Ten title and make a ninth Final Four appearance under head coach Tom Izzo.
Many players have contributed to the success of Izzo and the Spartans, and recently, Michigan State has seen several of its stars drafted into the NBA. Let’s take a look at the top five Spartans playing in the NBA during the 2021-22 season.
- Xavier Tillman Sr.
Tillman Sr. is one of the most recent Michigan State graduates on this list and could have a much higher ranking in a few years. During his time with the Spartans, Tillman Sr. was a reliable force down low. Although he may have only averaged over eight points and six rebounds per game offensively for his career, he made his mark on the defensive end, handling several skilled big men in the conference such as Iowa’s Luka Garza. Tillman Sr. was named a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year during his MSU career, and saved the best for last as he averaged nearly 14 points and 10 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 season.
The 6-foot-8 forward was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 35th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, joining former Spartan star Jaren Jackson Jr. on the team’s roster. Playing in 59 games during his rookie campaign, Tillman Sr. flashed plenty of upside on both ends of the floor, averaging 12.9 points per game per 36 minutes.
- Gary Harris
Harris was an instant star as soon as he stepped on MSU’s campus. In his freshman season, the guard averaged 12.9 points per game and showed a strong stroke from deep, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year followed it up with another strong season in 2013-14, averaging 16.7 points and improving to a first team All-Big Ten player.
The Fishers, Indiana native decided to leave the Spartans after just two seasons, and was a highly-touted NBA prospect. Selected 19th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, Harris was traded to the Nuggets where he again had a strong start to his pro career. After a down rookie season, Harris emerged quickly as a full-time starter for Denver in the 2015-16 season. Harris had his best NBA campaign two seasons later, shooting nearly 50% from the field and scoring over 17 points per game. He remained a staple of late-decade Nuggets’ playoff teams until last season when he was traded to the Orlando Magic. On a rebuilding roster searching for talent, Harris figures to have plenty of opportunity throughout the 2021-22 season.
- Miles Bridges
A five-star recruit out of West Virginia, Bridges is another prospect that lived up to the billing during his time in East Lansing, Michigan. Another Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as an All-Big Ten second team honoree in his first season, Bridges led the Spartans in both points and rebounds during the 2016-17 campaign. Perhaps surprisingly coming back for a second season at MSU, Bridges followed it up with another strong year, averaging over 17 points per game on a talented Spartan squad.
Bridges had plenty of hype coming out of high school, and that remained the same coming out of college. The first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Clippers was later traded to the Hornets for Kentucky product Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Bridges made an impact in 80 games played for Charlotte in his rookie season, and had his best year as a pro in 2019-20, averaging 13 points and six rebounds per game. Although he regressed a bit last season, Bridges talent on the wing still holds a lot of potential and is expected to blossom sooner than later.
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jackson Jr. may have been a one-and-done player at Michigan State, but he flashed plenty of talent and potential during the 2017-18 season. Following the footsteps of his father who played college basketball at Georgetown and spent over a decade in the NBA, Jackson Jr. was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an All-Big Ten third team member as a freshman. The two-time IHSAA state champion averaged 11 points per game offensively, and an impressive three blocks per contest on the other end of the court.
Selected fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018, Jackson Jr. continued his rapid ascension, and made an immediate splash in the pros. He continued to grow in his second year, averaging over 17 points per game as one of the Grizzlies’ top players. However, on Aug. 4 2020, Jackson Jr. tore his ACL during a late-season game hosted after the season’s resumption in the NBA bubble. He played in just 11 games last season after returning from injury, but is predicted by many to have a breakout 2021-22 campaign. This past week, Jackson Jr. also signed a multi-year extension with the team.
- Draymond Green
It is no surprise who would be No. 1 on this list, as Green has had one of the most notable NBA careers of any former Spartan. Before he became a three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Green was a staple of some of Tom Izzo’s most successful teams. As a freshman, Green averaged just 11 minutes per game as a role player for MSU’s squad that made the national championship game. He improved significantly as a key member of the Spartans’ second consecutive Final Four team in 2009-10, and continued to progress as a full-time starter in 2010-11. As a senior the following year, Green had an even further breakout, averaging 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a do-it-all player. Leading the Spartans to regular season and conference tournament championships, Green finished as the third MSU player all-time to eclipse both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound thresholds. He has since had his jersey retired by his alma mater.
Of course, we all know how much Green has meant to the Warriors since becoming a second-round draft pick of the team back in 2012. After a couple of learning seasons to start off, Green became a permanent starter for the team and blossomed under head coach Steve Kerr after he was hired in 2014. The Saginaw, Michigan native became a three-time All-Star and All-NBA Defensive Team staple during the mid-2010s, and was a key cog on both ends of the court during the Warriors’ championship runs. Although his scoring numbers have decreased, he remains a popular and steady fixture for a Warriors squad trying to find its championship form once again.
