Akins’ shooting slowly returning to form right as Spartans turn corner
Chris Solari
EAST LANSING — Slowly, Jaden Akins is coming around.
And with the junior guard’s incremental improvement after a tough start, Michigan State basketball also is turning a corner headed toward the new year.
Akins scored a career high 22 points in Thursday’s 99-55 blowout of Stony Brook, continuing an active stretch with better shooting, particularly from outside. It helped lead to the Spartans’ first three-game win streak this season, after dropping their two December games in Big Ten play.
“I knew it was coming, I (didn’t) know when,” Akins said after the second game of his college career with at least 20 points. “But just when you put in the work, I feel like it’s bound to happen. So it was good that it kind of happened tonight.”
After making 42.2% of his 3-point attempts last season (second only to Joey Hauser’s 46.1% among the Spartans) Akins tested the NBA draft process in the spring before withdrawing and returning to MSU.
But early this season, he struggled with his outside shooting, which Izzo felt affected Akins’ performance at both ends of the floor.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound wing missed his first six 3-point attempts and went 3-for-18 over the Spartans’ first four games. In MSU’s past eight games, the Farmington native is 42.1% from 3-point range (16-for-38) while shooting 52.2% overall from the field in averaging 11.1 points. Even then, there have been some dips, including a two-point, zero-rebound performance in a Big Ten-opening loss at home to Wisconsin.
After scoring 11 points and making three 3pointers in a win over Oakland on Monday, Akins attacked aggressively early Thursday against the Seawolves and found his best shooting touch of the season, finishing 9-for-12 overall and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
“Jaden Akins probably had his best game in a long time,” Izzo said. “He shot the ball well in practice the last probably 10 days to two weeks. A little adjustment on his shot, and I think it’s really helped.”
Akins had 13 points by halftime, with 10 of those coming from making all five of his shots inside the arc as he attacked the basket off the dribble and in transition for alley-oops. In the second half, he hit three of five shots from 3point range and handed out all three of his assists, flashing a returned rhythm in multiple facets.
Senior A.J. Hoggard, who delivered half of his 10 assists on Akins baskets, said having his third backcourt mate playing at a high level on the wing accentuates what he and Tyson Walker are able to do at point guard and shooting guard.
“It causes more problems for our opponent,” Hoggard said. “When we’re all clicking like that, I think it’s hard to stop us. So when we’re on a roll like that — we’re all locked in, we’re all getting open shots, we’re swinging the ball, all excited for one another — it just carries on and, I think, builds our momentum.”
Izzo still remains in need of more production from Akins in different ways.
Akins was a rebounding machine over the first three games, grabbing 26 of his 52 boards through 12 games in the first three contests. That included a career-best 11 in a seasonopening home loss to James Madison and eight against No. 19 Duke. Thursday against Stony Brook, however, was Akins’ second game in the last five without a rebound as the Spartans — who are undersized this season and have struggled on the glass — had just a 45-41 edge on the boards against the Seawolves.
“You gotta rebound,” Izzo said. “I am concerned about our rebounding. We’re not only not rebounding great, but we’re not getting a lot of clean rebounds.”
The Spartans (7-5) have one more nonconference game left, Saturday against surprisingly challenging Indiana State (11-1). Tipoff is 2 p.m. on FS1.
If there is one downside to Akins’ big showing against Stony Brook, it’s that it came before a nine-day layoff between games. Carrying over that positive momentum and hot shooting against the Sycamores, and then into the resumption of Big Ten play after New Year, is critical for both Akins and MSU to reach their goals this season.
“I feel like it just seems to build confidence,” Akins said. “I feel like I really haven’t lost confidence at all. But seeing some shots go in, it’s good for anybody. So I’m just gonna continue to work.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@free press.com. Follow him @chrissolari.