On Branden’s Dawson’s Importance to Michigan State
Posted by Tommy Lemoine on January 6th, 2015Michigan State crushed Indiana on Monday night and there’s really no other way to describe it. The Spartans – in desperate need of something positive after closing out 2014 with losses to Texas Southern and Maryland – controlled nearly every aspect of the contest, out-rebounding the Hoosiers 50-28 (17-11 offensive), holding the visitors to 0.82 points per possession (their lowest of the season) and pushing the lead to as many as 30 in the second half. Can Tom Izzo’s club be this dominant on regular basis? Probably not. Indiana experienced one of its worst efforts of the season and opponents as offensively skilled as the Hoosiers won’t often shoot 5-of-24 from behind the arc and 28 percent from the field. But Michigan State’s formula for success in the blowout – using strong defense and rebounding to create transition offense – did help further confirm something we already suspected about the Spartans: Branden Dawson is by far the team’s most important player, and his week-to-week level of intensity on both ends of the court will dictate Sparty’s ceiling in the Big Ten.
Branden Dawson (right) had a huge hand in the Spartans’ 70-50 win over Indiana on Monday. (Amanda Ray | MLive.com)
Michigan State likes to get out and run this year as much as any Izzo squad in recent memory, so the match-up with Indiana, one of the nation’s fastest and most transition-oriented teams, suited it just fine. What enabled the Spartans to open up such a wide margin, however, was not merely their ability to run-and-gun with the Hoosiers; it was their ability to stop them – Indiana was held to its lowest point total and fewest points per possession yet this season. And why couldn’t the Big Ten’s second most efficient offense find its groove? Because Dawson was as defensively aggressive as he’s been all season. The 6’6’’ senior blocked two shots, recorded a pair of steals, defended all five positions at various points in the night and took Indiana forward Troy Williams completely out of the game (zero points in 17 minutes). “We did a pretty good job on [Williams] and he’s been playing off the charts,” Izzo said afterwards. “It really helps when Dawson plays like he did. The rebounding, the running of the court.”
That last sentence – the one about rebounding and running the court – is the crux of why Dawson’s impact was so important on Monday and will remain so going forward. Not only did the power forward prevent the Hoosiers from attacking the lane, but he cleaned up nearly every miss in his area, recording 13 rebounds – including five offensive – and putting his soaring athleticism on full display. In turn, Dawson parlayed many of those boards into either quick outlet passes up the court or kick-outs to open shooters on the perimeter. He also demonstrated great burst and quickness running the floor, his energy enabling him to score eight of his 14 points off dunks. “Tonight I thought he was phenomenal,” Izzo said. “He was guarding a bunch of different guys, and I just thought he was really good.” Between making defensive stops, altering shots, preventing second-chance opportunities for Indiana and creating transition chances for his teammates, Dawson’s impact on the outcome is difficult to calculate but easy to understand: when the preseason all-conference forward plays like that, Michigan State is one of the best teams in the conference. When he doesn’t? Well, look at how the team fared without him against Texas Southern on December 20.
Which brings us to why the word ‘if’ is necessary when talking about Dawson. The fact is that the senior’s career has been marred by injuries and illnesses so often that one can’t simply assume he will play with Monday night’s level of intensity each night for the remainder of the season. This season alone, Dawson has missed a game versus Santa Clara (illness), two games against Texas Southern and The Citadel (injured wrist) and looked more-than-rusty in his return against the Terrapins on December 30. Last year he sat out nine games with a broken hand; in 2012-13, the forward spent much of the season trying to get his legs under him after tearing his ACL the previous March. If Dawson plays like he did against Indiana (and like he did in last year’s Big Ten Tournament) for the remainder of the Big Ten slate, Michigan State could wind up with a vastly improved offense, gaudy defensive numbers (the team already ranks 14th in defensive efficiency) and finish top-three in the conference standings… but, again, the key word is ‘if’ here. The first step in realizing that potential comes on Thursday night in Iowa City against the 11-4 Hawkeyes.
