Michigan State's Kenny Goins' knee injury a 'bump in the road'

EAST LANSING — Just two games into the season, injuries are starting to mount for second-ranked Michigan State.

Junior Kenny Goins will miss “a couple weeks” after suffering a mild sprain of his left knee, the school announced Thursday.

The 6-foot-7 forward played 15 minutes Tuesday in MSU's 88-81 loss against Duke, finishing with four points, three rebounds and two blocks. Goins’ only basket was a dunk.

“Kenny played pretty well in the last game,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said after practice Thursday. “I feel bad for Kenny, but it’s just a little tweak. It’ll probably be 2 to 2 1/2 weeks, kind of like what Denzel (Valentine) went through a little bit. So hopefully it won’t be too long.”

MORE:Michigan State basketball: Spartans 'beat ourselves,' learned in loss to No. 1 Duke

MORE:Couch: Michigan State needs Miles Bridges to be more like Grayson Allen

MSU (1-1) plays seven games in 17 days, starting Sunday when it hosts Stony Brook at 4 p.m. at Breslin Center (Big Ten Network).

Goins injured the same knee he hurt in February 2016 that forced him to miss eight games before returning and reinjuring it during the Spartans' NCAA tournament loss to Middle Tennessee State that March. He needed surgery and missed all that summer before coming back last fall.

“It is a bump in the road, but it also slows our process down in trying to get in rhythm and trying to get a true rotation..,” Izzo said. “I just feel bad for the kid. He worked so hard to get back. But this isn’t anything that’s gonna set him back, back. It’s just gonna delay him for a few days, and hopefully we can get through all of those games.”

Losing Goins hampers MSU’s depth behind sophomore Miles Bridges, who played 37 minutes against the Blue Devils. Goins had taken over some of the backup duties at small forward behind Bridges after a foot injury to fellow junior Kyle Ahrens, who had his right foot in a walking boot and was using a scooter to get around at United Center in Chicago on Tuesday.

“It’s big. He adds so much to our game, especially being a stretch-4 and spreading out the floor,” freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. said of Goins. “He’s a terrific shooter, and we’re definitely gonna miss him. It gives me a break whenever I need it. He literally does everything right — I can’t point to anything. Kenny seems to be in the right positions at all times.”

Goins played 3 scoreless minutes in the Spartans’ opening victory over North Florida due to what Izzo said were academic reasons.

It also cuts into the Spartans’ depth at power forward, where MSU had a logjam with Goins, Jackson and Ben Carter all possessing floor-stretching shooting on offense, and Gavin Schilling providing a defensive presence in the paint. Freshman Xavier Tillman also could see a more expanded role.

“You wonder why you have depth,” Izzo said. “What it means is we’ll get a little bit more out of Carter, but we’re still going to be limited in how much we can play him. I think it gives a little more chance to Gavin if he stays out of foul trouble, and Xavier. It’s Xavier’s chance to move up a little bit.”

A decision on Ahrens’ status has not yet been made, Izzo said. He added the 6-6 forward’s timetable for recovery has been anywhere from six weeks to three months. Ahrens has been out indefinitely since preseason workouts and missed both games and all three exhibitions.

“We just have no idea how fast that thing will recover,” Izzo said. “If it’s three months, he’s pretty much done. If it’s eight weeks, there’s a decision to be made that’ll be made between him and his family and me.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.