Michigan State Basketball could field an insanely explosive lineup in 2024-25

As I sat there looking at the final stats from the second night of Moneyball, something occurred to me: Michigan State basketball could field an explosive team this season that could be good enough to not only contend for a Big Ten title, but also on the national level.

Moneyball stats aren’t important and I can’t say that enough. We see guys put up crazy numbers every year and it just doesn’t translate to the same thing. But the look of the players is important.

So when I saw Coen Carr shooting three-pointers and looking confident doing so, this explosive potential lineup came to mind, and it should excite everyone as much as it does me.

If Carr’s new jumper proves himself in the regular season, there’s a good chance he’ll play a lot of minutes at power forward this season. And I know what you’re saying: What about Xavier Booker?

Let me finish.

What do you think of this list:

PG: Jeremy Fears Jr.
SG: Jaden Akins
SF: Frankie Fidler
PF: Coen Carr
C: Xavier Booker

Explosive, right?

I know there are concerns about using Booker as a center, but he has put on weight in the offseason and is training with Jaren Jackson Jr., which leads me to believe he will only get better and stronger on both ends of the court. If he can hold his own in the post, he could be the best development of the offseason for MSU.

Carr could potentially fill the floor at the four, as he could draw attention as a good 3-point shooter or mid-range player, but if someone goes too wide, he can pull by and shoot the ball with ease. That would be huge too.

Fidler is a dynamic scorer, we saw that in Moneyball, and the same goes for Akins.

And Fears could be one of the better point guards East Lansing has produced when it’s all said and done. He’s naturally gifted and a leader. He’ll be a damn good passer, and if he works on his scoring instincts, he could be just good enough to take Tom Izzo at No. 2.

Isn’t this lineup fascinating? There’s athleticism everywhere and every single one of these guys could score. If Carr has a jump shot, they could all shoot from distance. It’s rare to see a lineup coached by Izzo do something like this.

The fascination for this team is growing.