Izzo trying to juggle Michigan State's point guards for maximum impact

EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo continues to work on juggling Michigan State’s lineup to find the right combinations with Miles Bridges’ return.

One of the more intriguing position questions, though, has little to do with the star forward – yet everything to do with his and the Spartans’ continued maturation.

Tum Tum Nairn rejoined the starting lineup in Wednesday’s 65-47 victory over Minnesota and helped spark MSU’s defense and early offense. Cassius Winston came off the bench for the first time in nearly a month, and it’s a point guard balancing Izzo is trying to perfect.

“Tum brings something to the defensive end where he just lifts everybody, and Cassius is still a magnificent passer that can do things on the other end,” Izzo said. “You know, I don’t know if I’ll keep changing it, but it’s not something Cassius or did wrong or necessarily Tum did right – it’s trying to find the best combinations.”

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The Spartans went into Wednesday 4-1 with Winston starting, yet coming off Saturday’s lackluster loss to Penn State. Against the Gophers, 5-foot-10 junior Nairn missed all three of his shots and finished with just three points, one assist and one rebound; 6-foot freshman Winston clanked his only attempt and scored just a point, with five assists and five rebounds.

However, the duo combined for just one Winston turnover in the 45 minutes they played – at times on the court together, with Nairn running the offense. Their defense helped hold Minnesota leading scorer Nate Mason in check until the game’s final few minutes and limited Amir Coffey to just four points in 32 minutes.

“Our room for error is very small,” Winston said, “so we gotta play with a massive amount of intensity.”

That starting group of Nairn, Bridges, Eron Harris, Joshua Langford and Nick Ward helped the Spartans (12-6, 4-1) overcome the skittish starts they’d experience over their first four Big Ten games. Their 9-2 opening salvo set the tone for the rest of the blowout.

When MSU hit the first media timeout, leading 13-9, Izzo opted for almost wholesale changes and sent most of his starters to the bench. Winston entered with Alvin Ellis, Matt McQuaid and Matt Van Dyk to join already subbed-in Kenny Goins on the court. That group scored just two points but didn’t give up any in that stint.

“It was just different,” Winston said after his streak of five straight starts ended. “With Tum out there at the beginning, he’s the heart and soul of this team, so he brings that energy you need to start the game. He challenges everyone to match that energy. So when you come off the bench, you know, ‘Tum did all this – I can’t let that go, I can’t let that energy fall down.’”

Winston is averaging 6.8 points, 5.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 20.6 minutes. In Nairn’s 24.3 minutes, he averages 4.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds. They both understand their primary responsibility, though, is to make everyone around them better.

“If we get to that point where we’re consistent,” Nairn said, “I think that’s when we’re going to keep taking steps.”

Izzo also used the two point guards simultaneously briefly in the first half and for a more extended look late, a combination the Spartans have experimented with off and on this season. It could be more prominently featured when MSU visits Ohio State on Sunday (1:30 p.m./CBS).

“We got something out of it in three games this year – Minnesota twice and Northwestern once,” Izzo said. “Those are the three we tried it, so you might see more of that at times, too.”

Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!