Team SPS and Michigan State's Kur Teng, right, scores as Team Case Credit Union and Michigan State's Nick Sanders defends during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at Holt High School. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Breakout for MSU's Kur Teng Inevitable?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 12:28 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans will be looking for help at vacant guard positions next season.

After losing Jase Richardson, Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman, MSU's backcourt will lack experience. Tom Izzo will look for players to step up.

Jeremy Fears Jr. will hold down the starting point guard spot, while Samford transfer Trey Fort should join him in the backcourt. The Spartans will need depth behind those two.

One player who is expected to take a leap is sophomore Kur Teng. The second-highest-rated recruit in Izzo’s 2024 high school class, Teng has the chance to be a major contributor off the bench for this Spartan squad.

In fact, Izzo had high praise for Teng entering his sophomore season. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that Teng has separated himself as the team’s best perimeter shooter.

Tom Izzo tells me that Kur Teng has separated himself as Michigan State's best outside shooter.

An under-the-radar piece to monitor in East Lansing as the Spartans look to transition post Jaden Akins/Jase Richardson on the wings.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 7, 2025

The Spartans struggled to shoot the ball from three-point range last season, ranking as one of the worst teams from beyond the arc, despite being an Elite Eight team. One might wonder how far the Spartans could have gone if they had hit a few more shots from behind the line.

Teng did not see the court much during his freshman season, as there was nowhere for him to play in 2024. However, Teng will see a much bigger role with so many guards out of the way.

Teng may be exactly what the Spartans need when it comes to outside shooting. Izzo prioritized three-point shooting in the transfer portal, landing Fort and Florida Atlantic’s Kaleb Glenn, who is expected to miss the season with a torn patellar.

With Glenn’s injury, MSU will lean on Teng more than they expected to. Will he be ready for the challenge?

Teng, like Richardson, plays a calm, mature brand of basketball. He does not get sped up and knocks down shots comfortably from the outside.

It is high praise for Izzo to say Teng is already the team’s best outside shooter before he has played many meaningful minutes. Expect him to play a major role for this team next season when they need a bucket from three-point range.

Teng will be a major X factor for this Spartan team.

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