Michigan State men's basketball guard Jaden Akins underwent surgery this past weekend for a stress reaction in his left foot. The sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich. is expected to be our for the next four weeks while he recovers.
The Spartans will start preseason practice on Sept. 26, so Akins' recovery time will bleed into the start of the season for Michigan State. However, if Akins is able to recover in four weeks time, as reported, he would still have four weeks of practice before the Spartans' season-opener on Nov. 7 against Northern Arizona.
While Akins is expected to make a full recovery and be good to go for MSU's season, this is still somewhat scary news for the Spartans. Akins is expected to take a leap between his freshman and sophomore seasons and is a projected starter.
Many expected Akins to replace former five-star prospect Max Christie in Michigan State's starting lineup. Even as a freshman last year, Akins was one of the Spartans' best perimeter on-ball defenders, and he showed flashes of his offensive ability throughout the season as well.
However, Akins' absence will allow guards like sophomore Pierre Brooks and freshman Tre Holloman to get extra reps early in the season and build chemistry with other projected starters and rotation players.
Michigan State's roster is not expected to be as deep in 2022-23, but the Spartans do have a respectable amount of depth to their backcourt with A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Brooks and Holloman in addition to Akins.
Spartan Nation will continue to monitor this situation as it unfolds.
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
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