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The Michigan State men’s basketball program will be short-handed to begin the 2022-2023 preseason as sophomore guard Jaden Akins is expected to miss four weeks after undergoing foot surgery.
On Tuesday, the school announced that Akins underwent surgery for a stress reaction in his left foot on Saturday, Sept. 10. The good news for Akins and Michigan State is that he is not expected to miss any time during the regular season, and should be able to get several weeks of practice in ahead of MSU’s season opener versus Northern Arizona on Monday, Nov. 7.
Michigan State's Jaden Akins underwent surgery for a stress reaction in his left foot. He's expected to be out four weeks.
— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) September 13, 2022
Akins’ surgery took place in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The procedure was performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert B. Anderson. Akins is expected to make a full recovery.
Many fans and analysts predict that Akins will make a major leap for the Spartans during the 2022-2023 season. As a true freshman last season, Akins played in 36 games, including one start. He averaged 14.8 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.6 steals per game. He also recorded nine blocks.
While it didn’t always show up on the stats sheet, Akins made his presence felt through hustle and defense during the 2021-2022 campaign. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard is a native of Farmington Hills, Michigan and shot 39.4 percent overall from the field, 38 percent on three-point attempts and 60.7 percent from the free-throw line last season.
Michigan State is expected to begin preseason practices on Monday, Sept. 26.
