Michigan State's Offense Has a Glaring Problem
In the Maui Invitational semifinal round, the Michigan State Spartans fell to the Memphis Tigers, 71-63.
The Spartans could not pull out a victory in the second half for several reasons. Memphis had multiple guards who consistently made tough shots, and MSU could not keep up.
The 3-point shooting improved, but it was still not enough to hang with the explosive Tigers’ offense. A stretch in the middle of the second half that Memphis seemed to make every single shot proved to be the Spartans’ undoing.
However, while most Spartan fans have complained about MSU’s poor shooting from beyond the arc, Tom Izzo must address a bigger problem with the team’s half-court offense.
The lack of a consistent big man presence allows opposing teams to run zone defense easily.
MSU has not gotten enough out of Jaxon Kohler, Szymon Zapala, and Carson Cooper from the center spot. The room has largely improved from last season, which has been noticeable, but Izzo needs them each to improve a bit more if they want to make a deep March run.
It has been evident early in the season. If a team plays zone against the Spartans, they will struggle to run their offensive sets. The best way to beat a zone defense is to get a center in the middle, which allows the rest of the team to move around and beat it.
When Kohler, Zapala, and Cooper are not flashing middle so the lead guard can initiate a post touch to them, the offense looks jostled and inefficient. Guards dribble around the perimeter before attempting to create offense as the shot clock dwindles.
Opposing defenses know MSU does not have a reliable center presence, so they do not worry about that center’s gravity pulling any zone defenders away from their assignment. If a center can demand attention from defenders, it could lead to more open looks from beyond the arc.
Guards cannot get downhill against zone defenses, so the offense cannot flow. When MSU does get guard penetration, it leads to things like open three-pointers or Coen Carr lob dunks.
MSU’s offense could be much better if it could get more production from its center spot. Not necessarily box score production, but just knowing how to execute against a zone defense could open up so much more.
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