On Senior Night, Tyson Walker hit another milestone. He now has 2,000 career points, most of which came for Michigan State basketball.
Tyson Walker hit one last milestone in the Breslin Center on Wednesday night. The guard came into his final game in East Lansing at 1,983 career points. Following a crazy, double-covered layup, Walker was officially a member of the 2,000-point club. The Northeastern transfer had 680 points at his first school and added the other 1,320 during his Michigan State basketball career.
Tyson Walker has cemented his Michigan State basketball legacy
Tyson Walker has been the star of Michigan State basketball for this year. He has been the go-to guy on rough Spartan shooting nights. This led to him being named a finalist for the Jerry West Award earlier this week, awarded to the best shooting guard in the country.
Walker was an unlikely star, ranking in as the No. 70 point guard in the country and No. 477 player nationally on the 247Sports Composite. He went to the Northeastern Huskies, where he started for two years. Following a sophomore campaign where he averaged 18.8 points per game, in addition to winning conference defensive player of the year, he hit the portal. In a rare move, Tom Izzo reached out to and ultimately won over the New York native.
Walker showed flashes in his first year at Michigan State, hitting an unreal 47 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. Walker was more relied on as a player to dish the ball than take scoring into his own hands that season, posting 4.3 assists per game that season.
Following that campaign, Walker became the de facto go-to guy for Michigan State basketball and their scoring. It is safe to say that this was a great choice. While not as sharp from beyond the arc due to the volume, Walker is still flirting with 40 percent from the 3-point line for his career.
In addition to posting 2,000 career points on Senior Night, Walker also surpassed his season high in points scored with his first points of the night. This was Walker’s second consecutive 500-point season, and the Spartans have needed every one of his points today. Entering the game, Walker had 10 20-point games, including a 35-point effort in the season-opening loss to James Madison.
The main thing preventing Walker from holding a record on the “Mount Rushmore” of MSU greats is the lack of team success. That is a fair criticism, but I would argue Walker has done more than his fair share of heavy lifting for these Spartan teams. Additionally, a run later this month can completely turn the narrative around.
Since I have compared them before, Walker does have the edge on career points when compared to Cassius Winston. That said, Walker’s first 680 points came against a lower level of competition, Walker played a different guard position (shooting guard compared to point) that saw him shoot more often, and he had an extra year to accomplish this feat. As I ended that article, there will never be another Walker, nor will there be another Winston.
We got to witness greatness on Senior Night, folks. The final chapter for Walker’s career in the Breslin Center was written, but his chapter as a Spartan will continue in a few short days at Indiana.
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