Michigan State star guard Joshua Langford is out for the season after suffering an injury to his ankle earlier in the season. The injury, a stress fracture, has not been progressing as doctors would have liked and he will now sit the rest of his junior year out. Langford was a co-captain for the Spartans this season and one of the pieces needed for Michigan State’s postseason aspirations. Now, Tom Izzo will have to make do without one of his veterans and best players.
Izzo released a statement to announce the injury.
It’s with great sadness that I have to announce that after numerous studies, rehabilitation and an attempt at return, it has been determined that Josh will miss the remainder of the season,” coach Tom Izzo said. “Josh has a stress injury that we caught fairly early, and we had hoped that, with treatment and rest, he would recover.
“He has not and will likely need surgery to prevent problems in the future.
On the season, Joshua Langford was posting per games averages of 15 points, pulling down 3.6 rebounds, and dishing 2.3 assists. The guard was shooting 44.3% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. Arguably Landford’s best game came against Texas when he dropped 29 points. What the Spartans are going to miss from Langford outside of a pure numbers standpoint is his ability to heat up from deep and help make plays for his teammates. He showcased some of that big game skill in a game against Kansas earlier this season at the Champions Classic
The Spartans have played eight games without Langford and are 7-1 in those games. The only loss came against Purdue on January 27th when the Boilermakers won 73-63 in West Lafayette. With that said, there is no doubt that when March rolls around, Michigan State will miss Langford dearly. In a press release Tom Izzo followed up on Langford’s injury and what he meant to the Spartans.
“We hate this for Josh and our team, as he was one of our leading scorers, one of our top 3-point shooters and one of our two best defensive guards. But our commitment to Josh and his long term health is paramount.”
The next challenge for Michigan State will be a game at home versus Indiana on February 2nd. They still have ranked teams to play later this season as well. A game against #24 Wisconsin and two games against #5 Michigan this season.
