One of MSU’s most dangerous weapons has just been sharpened.
With the arrival of freshman guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn to the starting lineup, the Spartans boast a fast-break that can attack some of the best defenses in the league.
Transition offense a new strength for MSU
Freshmen guard Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr. dribbles the ball Feb. 14, 2015, during the game against Ohio State at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 59-56. Hannah Levy/The State News
—“Speed kills, as they say,” Izzo said. “He can get it from one end to the other. I think what happens is more guys run because they know that he’s going to get it.”
Nairn’s heightened responsibility as the floor general has had a positive impact in the sample size we’ve seen. Senior guard Travis Trice is free to work more as a shooter, and according to Izzo, he’s able to avoid some of the beating that results from having to continually push MSU’s tempo.
In a career-high 36 minutes against Ohio State, Nairn was the catalyst for the team’s transition play in the first half. The Spartans had to get away from the running game after halftime, mostly due to junior guard Denzel Valentine’s foul trouble and the struggles of sophomore guard Alvin Ellis.
Getting away from the break was something Izzo didn’t necessarily want to do, but “it was the best thing to do,” given his team’s personnel.
“Transition is one of the best parts of my game, but in the second half, it was kind of hard to run because the game was a different game,” Nairn said. “Sometimes, coach said to slow it down but at times when we could run, we did. I take a lot of pride in doing that.”
Nairn’s quickness is ideal for running the break.
When MSU needs to take a step away from it, the freshman will be tested to lead the half-court offense.
Although the Spartans have looked out of sync at times, Izzo is confident in his team’s ability to take care of business across half-court.
“We’ve been shooting the ball, right now we’re second in the league in three-point shooting, overall we’re still top four or five,” Izzo said. “And our half-court has been OK, we’ve executed OK.”
As Izzo said, MSU is fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (47.1) and second in three-point field goal percentage (40.0). MSU also averages a league-leading 17.4 assists per game.
Although the numbers are there to support MSU’s offensive capabilities, the Spartans would be better off in a high-octane game.
“We can play fast at times, when we do we’re a better team,” Izzo said. “As most teams are.”
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