Miles Bridges is returning to Michigan State for sophomore season

Miles Bridges is headed back to school

Michigan State fans received some welcome news on Thursday night as freshman Miles Bridges announced that he will return to school for his sophomore season.

Bridges projected as a likely lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft, which makes his return a surprise. He ranked as the No. 10 prospect on The Step Back’s post-NCAA Tournament NBA Draft big board. As a 6-foot-6 combo forward, Bridges will have an opportunity to round out his game as a sophomore.

The 19-year old was terrific in his freshman season for Michigan State, averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while making 38.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. He was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year and become well known for his ability to throw down monstrous dunks in game.

Now, he’ll likely start the 2017-18 season as a preseason All-American and the top player on a consensus top five team and potential national title favorite. The Spartans will return every player from a 2016 recruiting class that ranked third in the country, according to 247Sports, and featued promising talents like point guard Cassius Winston, wing Joshua Langford and big man Nick Ward alongside Bridges.

Michigan State will also add five-star big man and McDonald’s All American Jaren Jackson. The high school senior is a 6-foot-10 big man who is ranked No. 20 in the 247Sports composite top 100. He’ll likely pair with Ward in the frontcourt, pushing Bridges out onto the wing, which will make for an interesting change.

As a freshman, Bridges succeeded in a small ball power forward role for the Spartans, using his quickness to often beat bigger defenders off the dribble. Now, he’ll likely play against faster defenders as a small forward, which will emphasize the importance of his shooting, could improve his draft stock and might carry Michigan State to another Final Four under head coach Tom Izzo.