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Michigan State Basketball: Javon Bess and Marvin Clark severely missed

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:56 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Brooks Hepp/FanSided via Spartan Avenue

After a slow start to the season and multiple injuries, it’s clear that Marvin Clark and Javon Bess are missed by Michigan State basketball.

The Michigan State basketball team is sitting tight with an 11-6 record and coming off a loss to Penn State. This is a scary position for a program that has gone to 19 straight NCAA Tournaments.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for January

An unexperienced roster, injuries to Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter, and the early departure of Deyonta Davis to the NBA draft are all reasons this team is struggling. Another big factor that has gone overlooked, however, has been the transfers of Javon Bess and Marvin Clark.

One of the biggest issues for the Spartans is their frontcourt depth. Nick Ward, Miles Bridges, Kenny Goins and Matt Van Dyk are the only healthy big men on the roster. Players such as Alvin Ellis III and Kyle Ahrens have been forced to play power forward in certain lineups. If Clark and Bess were still in the green and white, this wouldn’t be an issue.

Bess began the season as a starter last year. He played at least 15 minutes in every game besides two during their 13-game win streak to start the year and was an important piece to the team. His role on the team diminished as the season continued once Davis made the switch to power forward. But Bess showed signs of being a great defender and rebounder, two areas where the Spartans need desperate help in.

Clark made a splash his freshmen year by scoring 15 points in two of the first four games of the year. He later scored 14 points in a two-point win at Indiana and played memorable minutes in the Regional Championship victory over Louisville.

However, his season last year started slow with injuries, but he turned it on late with quality minutes in the Big Ten Tournament. He provided a threat from behind the arc that only Bridges can offer out of the front court this year. Just like Bess, Clark also had the athleticism and size to guard almost everybody on the court. If these two players were still available, Tom Izzo would have also had more flexibility playing bigger lineups with Bridges on the wing.

From rebounding, defense and versatility, the losses of Bess and Clark are hurting Michigan State this year. Because of this, the team must wait on a potential (but uncertain) Schilling return and hope for improvements from Goins, Van Dyk and others to remain atop the Big Ten.

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