Then-sophomore guard Rocket Watts pushes the ball up court during the Spartans' 70-64 upset against the No. 2 Wolverines on Mar. 6, 2021.
—Former MSU guard Rocket Watts will be taking his talent from one MSU to another to finish his college career.
Watts announced on his Instagram that he will attend Mississippi State University after entering the transfer portal following the conclusion of Michigan State’s season. Watts is the fourth MSU player to transfer this offseason, joining Foster Loyer, Thomas Kithier and Jack Hoiberg.
After having a strong finish to his freshman campaign in 2019-2020, Watts struggled in his sophomore year. He averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 assists a game on 33% shooting from the field this past season.
Watts was tasked with switching from shooting guard to point guard over the offseason, which was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. Watts made 15 starts in the Spartans’ 28 games, but struggled to carve out a definitive role on the team during Big Ten play after starting the season strong.
Watts’ best performance of the season came against Michigan in the final game of the regular season. Watts scored a game-high total of 21 points to lead the Spartans to a victory over the No. 2 ranked Wolverines to secure the Spartans spot in the 2021 NCAA tournament.
The incoming recruiting class combined with his struggles last season most likely led to Watts’ decision to transfer. Michigan State has four highly touted guards coming to East Lansing this year — five-star shooting guard Max Christie, four-star point guard Jaden Akins, four-star combo guard Pierre Brooks and Northeastern transfer point guard Tyson Walker. All four players will compete for minutes immediately and would have limited Watts’ playing time.
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