4 Takeaways from Michigan State Basketball’s Fourth Night of Moneyball

Moneyball is back for the fourth time this summer and like the three nights before, the Michigan State basketball team once again excelled and dominated.

Some of Michigan State’s stars were nowhere to be seen Thursday, but that didn’t stop the Spartans in attendance from putting on a show.

So let’s dive right in and go through the four key takeaways and things I saw on Night Four of Moneyball.

(For updates on nights one, twoor threeclick on the links associated with each number).

There’s no denying that Jaden Akins is one of Michigan State’s most in-demand players next season, and there’s no denying that the team needs to get a lot better at shooting 3 points as well.

So why shouldn’t Akins solve this problem for Michigan State?

On Thursday, Akins showed off a really solid jump shot, something we’ve seen from time to time at Michigan State. Akins scored 26 points (which isn’t a crazy number for Moneyball), but what was impressive were his six 3-pointers.

Last season was Akins’ worst three-point shooting. It wasn’t bad, but 36.4 percent isn’t what Michigan State wants from him. They want him to be closer to his 2022-23 season average of 42.2 percent.

So for Akins, it’s all about finding consistency from behind the arc. If he averages 40 percent and doesn’t have too many losing streaks, he could very well be the Spartans’ best player when you add in his solid defense and other offensive traits.