It’s that time of the year. The NBA playoffs are in full swing. The NBA combine is underway, and basketball fans are starting to think about June’s NBA draft.
For Michigan State basketball, obviously, Tom Izzo has been churning out NBA talent since the days of Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves. This year is no different. Freshman Jase Richardson is still expected to be selected next month in the 2025 NBA draft.
Looking ahead, it’s interesting to think about which Spartans could next make the jump to the NBA. MSU’s top three scorers last year (Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman and Richardson) are presumed to be not returning. Richardson is the only one who could still return. Since he remains in the draft process, we are going to assume, for the purposes of this article, that he is going to stay in the draft.
If you want to see the list of every player selected in the NBA draft under Tom Izzo, you can see that here.
That leaves a great deal of scoring to be replaced, and plenty of opportunities for players to prove themselves to NBA scouts. Below, we ranked the 2025-26 MSU roster in terms of NBA draft potential, from last to first.
One note, this is overall NBA draft potential, not just who might be able to make the jump next year.
No. 10 Trey Fort
This is no shot at Trey Fort, who I am actually higher on than probably most people. Fort has nice athleticism, can guard and can shoot in transition. But someone had to kick this list off, and he is 24 years old. He doesn’t project as a legitimate NBA prospect at that age.
No. 9 Carson Cooper
Again, not a shot at Carson Cooper, who I think does some things at a very high level, particularly defensively, screening and mobility. I honestly think there isn’t much separation between the middle and the bottom of this list.
No. 8 Jaxon Kohler
Jaxon Kohler is going to get numerous opportunities this season to score given how much production this team needs to replace. As a big who isn’t very athletic, it is tough to see a path to the NBA for him. The rebounding and improved shooting is interesting, but if Joey Hauser, who is in the G League, couldn’t find a spot, it’s hard to see Kohler having more success.
No. 7 Jeremy Fears Jr.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is going to be, arguably, the most important player on the team this season. But at 6 feet, 2 inches and with a limited jump shot, it’s hard to see him as an NBA prospect right now, even though his brother is about to be a lottery pick. There are not many players Fears’ size in the NBA, and the ones that manage to make it are either elite scorers such as Jalen Brunson or have elite speed such as Dennis Schroder. Look at Cassius Winston, who was one of the best MSU players of all time and roughly the same size as Fears. If he couldn’t make it in the NBA, I don’t see a path for Fears right now.
No. 6 Kur Teng
Sometimes being an unknown quantity gives you a bit of a bump in these sorts of lists. We don’t really know what Kur Teng will be as a player yet. Hypothetically, we hope he will be a shooter and be able to play some defense. That can always be a path forward for guards, but only if they achieve their potential. It’s hard to say what Teng will be.
No. 5 Kaleb Glenn
The NBA is always in need of athletic, big wings who can shoot. Kaleb Glenn can definitely do that. The knock on Glenn since coming into college has been his defense. If he buys in on that end, I don’t think it’s impossible for Glenn to find a path to the next level down the road.
No. 4 Jesse McCulloch
The rumor is that Jesse McCulloch was giving Michigan State’s bigs all they could handle in practices last year during his redshirt season. It appears McCulloch has bought into his future as a center, which could open a path to the NBA. I expect him to be very interesting on offense from Day 1 as a stretch big. The question will be regarding his defense and rebounding. Will he be both mobile and sturdy enough to become a legit rim protector at the 5? We’ll have to see.
No. 3 Jordan Scott
As I mentioned in the Kaleb Glenn section, the NBA is always in the market for big wings who can shoot. At least on paper, Jordan Scott fits the mold of a player who is very interesting to NBA scouts. Of course, we might not even see Scott play basketball until fall of 2026, so it’s hard to say. The short-term task for him is to get stronger, but he definitely has some NBA upside.
No. 2 Cam Ward
While Jordan Scott will likely need to spend a redshirt year building up the strength to play a Big Ten schedule, Cam Ward will not need to do that. Honestly, he looks like a man among boys in his senior high school tape. Ward fits the profile of the type of player NBA teams want. He’s strong. He can play multiple positions, and he can defend. The question with Ward will be around his jumper. I’m calling it now: if Cam Ward develops a jump shot, he will be a first-round draft pick someday.
No. 1 Coen Carr
If you didn’t expect to see Coen Carr in this top spot, I’m not sure what you were watching last year. Sure, there are still plenty of valid questions around his jump shot, but he might be one of the most athletic basketball players in the entire world, not just in college, and that alone could be enough to earn him an opportunity at the next level. Carr made himself into a legitimate NBA prospect this past season by rapidly improving his defense and rebounding, honing his freak athleticism into a weapon that fits into the schematics of college basketball defense. He showed some ability to get to the rim, and he’s obviously an insane lob threat. The last piece of the puzzle will be his shooting, but a 14% increase on his free throws was a very encouraging sign of growth.
At this point, I would say it’s about a 50-50 shot Carr leaves next year for the NBA.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Ranking Michigan State basketball’s 2025-26 roster by NBA draft potential
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
