Offseason evaluation: Tom Izzo insists Mady Sissoko’s day will come at Michigan State - MLive.com

Note: This is the sixth in a series of stories evaluating returning players on Michigan State's 2022-23 roster. Previously: Pierre Brooks, Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins, Joey Hauser, A.J. Hoggard

EAST LANSING – When Michigan State played two games in the NCAA Tournament in March, Mady Sissoko wasn't able to get on the floor.

When it starts next season in November, Sissoko is looking like Michigan State's likely starting center.

Get ready for a big change.

Marcus Bingham Jr.'s decision not to seek a fifth year of eligibility and Julius Marble's surprise entry into the transfer portal left Michigan State without its top two centers. And Tom Izzo's decision not to look to add any players at the position has put the focus on Sissoko as the only returning Michigan State center with college basketball experience.

THE BASICS: Sissoko played 4.5 minutes per game in 30 games, averaging 1.1 points and 1.0 rebounds while shooting 63.2 percent from the field.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "His day will come. Just hang in there with us, he's going to be a good player before we're done." – Tom Izzo on Sissoko, Feb. 26.

BEST PERFORMANCE OF 2021-22: Sissoko made some baskets late in games when the score was lopsided, but his most meaningful play came in the first half against Purdue, when he entered the game, forced two turnovers and got to the free-throw line in just four minutes of play, drawing plenty of praise from teammates and coaches in one of Michigan State's biggest wins of the season.

THE GOOD: Sissoko has shown he has the makings of being a strong rim protector. His block rate was a second on the team only to Marcus Bingham Jr., as he used his long wingspan and athleticism to block or alter shots at a high rate when he was in the game.

He was also adept at getting to the free-throw line, as he drew fouls at a rate higher than any other Michigan State player last season. And there was no denying his hustle whenever he got into a game.

THE BAD: Sissoko wasn't able to contribute much on offense, taking the lowest percentage of available shots of any player on Michigan State last season. Only two of the 19 shots he took were from outside of the paint.

While aspects of his defense were strong, he struggled to defend without fouling. Sissoko committed 9.8 fouls per 40 minutes, per Kenpom.com. That was nearly double the rate of any other player on the Spartans' roster. Those whistles seemed to often come away from the ball, when Sissoko was battling for position.

THE ODD: See above. There's no data available on this, but anecdotally Sissoko seemed to pick up a high volume of his fouls either before an entry pass came into the post or before a shot was taken by the center he was guarding. Few seemed to be while contesting shots. The good news is that the issue may be fixable when he gets a handle on what's allowed and not allowed.

REASONED PERSPECTIVE: Take a look back to that quote of note. As of late in the season, Izzo was making it clear that he and the Spartans coaching staff still saw a future for Sissoko at Michigan State despite his modest production to that point.

Sissoko's development has been slower than many had hoped. He can rely on his physical tools as an above-average athlete but still seems to get lost on the court at times and hasn't shown much in the way of offense in the post.

Some of this shouldn't be surprising. Sissoko had played limited basketball before coming to Michigan State compared to most other prospects after growing up in West Africa. He had a solid recruiting ranking but that always seemed to be based more on potential.

Sissoko had two older and more experienced centers above him in the playing rotation this season, so expanding his role was going to be tough, either way.

ASSESS AND GUESS IN 2022-23: Not adding to the roster at center is the most surprising and will be the most second-guessed decision Izzo has made this offseason.

As a result of that decision, Michigan State will be asking Sissoko to make a bigger leap up in role than any player on the roster, from mostly out of the playing rotation to likely starter – unless incoming freshman Jaxon Kohler impresses and can start from day one. (The minutes distribution at the position should be interesting. Kohler brings a different style: more refined offensively but not as athletic and with more question marks on defense.)

The Spartans likely won't need much in the way of scoring from Sissoko; it should have plenty of that on the perimeter and at the power forward position. If Sissoko is asked to be primarily a defender and rebounder – an area where he seems capable of contributing more – that seems more tenable than asking him to take on the full role that recent Michigan State centers have.

But even a role like that is still a question mark, in large part due to his foul issues. Look back at those 9.8 fouls per 40 minutes. It doesn't take a mathematician to calculate that if Michigan State wants him to play 20 minutes per game in 2022-23, he'd average essentially five fouls per game at the rate he fouled last year.

We've seen players take sizable leaps late in their Michigan State careers before. There's reason to be skeptical that Sissoko is ready for the role that the Spartans apparently have planned for him. But, as Izzo said it would, his time is coming.