Rocket Watts does things quickly. This was no different. It was Monday afternoon, a little more than 48 hours ahead of Michigan State’s season opener against Eastern Michigan, when Watts was asked if he might need to change his instincts as a sophomore.
Zero hesitation …
“No, no, no, not really,” Watts responded. “I just have to, you know, play my game, and make the right play, and still take the shots that I take, but also take the leadership, and find shots for other dudes.”
Advertisement
Oh, that’s all?
Entering the 2020-21 season, there are few more interesting players in the Big Ten, and maybe even in college basketball, than Watts. The 20-year-old is a dynamo — one that’s hard-wired to score and operate at its own current. He’s the type of athlete that mesmerizes. He’s fast without running hard. He’s quick without hurrying. Watts’ name lends itself to some easy puns, but in truth, a rocket needs to be ignited. Watts? He just goes.
But now there’s a role change and with it some very real questions. All offseason, a safe assumption existed that Watts would inherit the Michigan State point guard gig from all-everything predecessor Cassius Winston. Even still, Watts is the presumed lead guard for this season. At 6-foot-2, he spent last year playing off the ball and averaged 22.8 minutes per game. In the final games of the season, as MSU beat four ranked teams (Iowa, at Maryland, at Penn State, Ohio State), he operated in the starting lineup and averaged 17.8 points on 42.9 percent shooting in 31.3 minutes per game.
Despite Watts never playing anything close to a traditional point guard role, it’s been natural to imagine him sliding over as a sophomore.
Well, now here it is, the dawn of 2020-21, and it’s time to see how this will go. Michigan State plays Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night at Breslin Center. As of Tuesday, it was still unclear whether Watts or junior Foster Loyer would get the starting nod. The simple assumption of Watts being the no-brainer give-him-the-ball-and-let-him-go point guard was always easier said than done.
When it comes to the rewiring of Rocket Watts, this season, especially in its early weeks, will require a prerequisite patience from all parties involved.
First, consider Watts. Last season he attempted 239 shots, handed out 45 assists and committed 38 turnovers. As MSU veteran Joshua Langford puts it: “He was playing beside Cassius Winston, probably the best point guard in the country. So he didn’t necessarily have to make plays. He just had to be open and make open shots.”
Advertisement
And Watts was not shy about it. Early in his freshman season, he was downright unwieldy, firing off ill-advised step-backs and chucking rainbows with chunks of time left on the shot clock. The coaching staff gradually corralled some of that decision-making, but Watts was still Watts. In those aforementioned final four games of 2019-20, he put up 63 field-goal attempts, including 36 3-pointers. (He shot 59.3 percent on 2s and 30.6 percent on 3s.) Watts played with endless confidence and never saw a shot he didn’t like. On the other end, he was a lock-down defender who ultimately drew opposing teams’ best guards as his nightly assignment.
This does not translate to plug-and-play at the point guard spot. It’s not that Watts plays selfishly, but more so that he subscribes to a scorer’s mentality. Nobody wants him to necessarily play like a throwback pass-first point guard, but there’s a certain mentality that comes with playing point guard. It requires a natural inclination to want to dial up teammates and make reads that come with multiple options. For Watts, it won’t be enough to make passes just to keep the ball moving. A point guard has to communicate the play. In transition, he has to know when to set things up for a quick hitter or back things out and set up the half-court offense. He has to prioritize possessions.
It should probably be recognized that Watts has never really done this. And it’s a huge leap to expect him to take the floor as a sophomore and suddenly operate with such an essential equilibrium.
“(Loyer) is a little more comfortable at that position because he’s played that position,” Langford said. “It’s a little different for Rocket because he hasn’t necessarily been a dominant (point guard). He is more or less a combo guard, a guy that can really put the ball in the basket. Ultimately, it’s been an adjustment for him, but I think he’s done a great job.”
For these teammates, this is a significant adjustment. Michigan State players enjoyed playing with the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader for four years. They didn’t need to hunt shots. The shots often came to them — usually on a perfect pass right to the chest. Now, those playing off the ball have to be more ready and willing to perhaps slide to catch a pass or reposition to get open.
Advertisement
As it stands, not only is it unclear if Watts will start Wednesday, but it’s also unknown how much he’ll play on and off the ball in these first few weeks of the season. Langford will spend plenty of time at the two position, but, coming off career-altering injuries, he’s not exactly in position to play 30-plus minutes right off the bat. Watts is most likely to split time at the one and the two early on.
“Playing the two, you can basically score the ball,” Watts said. “That’s the position to score the ball. So it’s a big difference, me playing the one.”
For the Michigan State staff, there’s a fine line between utilizing Watts as a point guard and stifling his inherent talents. When someone’s speed is their greatest strength, you don’t tell them to slow down. With Watts, it’s a question of harnessing his mentality, but deploying his talent. He’ll be given the opportunity to operate out of ball screens, but no one is quite sure what it will look like when the lights are on. Watts is so gifted that he can get off a shot whenever he wants, whether it’s a good shot or not. When playing out of a ball screen, will he resort to that inclination to let it fly or keep his eyes and mind open to find an open man?
Here’s how Watts sees it: “Basically, as a point guard here, you’ve got to find other players’ shots. I just have to know when to take the shots and when to take over the game, but most importantly, find my guys’ shots, and just stay right with the pace of the game, and don’t force anything. Take care of the ball and get shots for other dudes.”
Again, that’s a lot. And you have to wonder, after a year of playing shoot-first-ask-questions-later, how will Watts play with all this now rattling around upstairs? This offseason didn’t do him or Michigan State any favors. In a non-pandemic world, he would’ve had a full summer in the gym making the adjustment to point guard and building volumes of invaluable film to study. Instead, Watts got in only a portion of that work and, of late, has been playing with a banged-up knee. Everything feels a touch behind schedule. The reality is, Watts can study as much film as he wants from last year — all those symphonic clips of Winston as conductor — but it’s mostly futile. Watts is an entirely different player. Very little will translate.
In the grand scheme of things, neither Watts, nor the Michigan State staff, nor the fans, will know what the Spartans look like with Watts at point guard until the ball is finally and officially in his hands. It will be a show worth watching. It will also be one that takes time. He says he plans to do basically “everything my team needs me to do — that’s what I bring.” Watts is fast, but let’s see how long that takes.
(Photo: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
