EAST LANSING — Coen Carr continues to make extraordinary and exhilarating plays above the rim.

Tom Izzo now needs his Michigan State basketball freshman forward to take his game to another level on the perimeter with fellow newcomer Jeremy Fears Jr. out indefinitely.

“It's been different out here playing the perimeter a lot more,” Carr said after practice Tuesday. “So I'm just trying to get used to that and get more comfortable with that. And I feel like I am getting more comfortable. …

“It's been good. I mean, I'm happy any time I get an opportunity for more minutes. I'm just trying to embrace it and trying to do what I can to play both positions.”

The Spartans (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) resume conference play Thursday with a visit to Breslin Center from Penn State (7-6, 1-1).

Tipoff is 7 p.m. There is no TV broadcast, but the game will be streamed online on NBC’s Peacock app.

Carr, predominantly a small forward this season, played nearly 17 minutes between there and the wing in Saturday’s 87-75 win over Indiana State. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder from Georgia added two more highlight reel dunks for his four points and another gravity-defying blocked shot. But he also committed two turnovers for the second straight game as he continues to learn more about playing outside.

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Even though both he and Izzo say the biggest need for adjustment and improvement is defensively.

“Really, it's just being involved with the ball some more on defense,” said Carr, who played just four second-half minutes as the Sycamores went to a smaller, quicker lineup. “Usually, if you're the four (forward), sometimes you're just sitting there and your man is setting the screen. But now, you're actually the one who's gonna have to go over screens, having trails, having to go through pin-downs and stagger (screens) and stuff like that. So it's just a little different. You gotta move more.”

Izzo said that offensively, Carr continues to make progress as more than a guy who throws down electric dunks. Carr is averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.3 minutes over his first 13 collegiate Games. He also has 13 blocks and 12 steals while committing 13 turnovers to four assists.

“He's starting to learn that, ‘OK, if I don't shoot it right, I can do it in other ways,’” Izzo said. “There's other ways of driving the ball, getting fouled, getting to the free-throw line, getting rebounds. … I think some day, he's gonna be really, really good. If that shot keeps getting better, the free throws are getting better. And when that happens, he'll get more confidence to drive and get to the hole.”

Attacking the basket off the dribble and working off two feet in the paint are things Izzo and his staff have been emphasizing to Carr this week, trying to get him to slash to the basket more frequently from the wing. He said much of his time in high school was spent inside, and he would catch passes at the free-throw line to start his path to the rim, rather than what he is learning now outside the 3-point arc.

Though Carr is shooting at a 70.3% clip, much of that has come from throwing down jams. And he wants to be known more than just a ferocious dunker.

“Just being more aggressive really,” Carr said. “Being more aggressive off the dribble and working on my pull-up — my one-dribble pull-up, two-dribble pull up. Just trying to add more things to my game so I won't be a one-dimensional player.”

Kohler progressing

Izzo said Jaxon Kohler continues to work his way into more activity over the past few days. However, the 6-9 sophomore forward is doubtful to play against Penn State.

“He practiced a little bit earlier,” Izzo said Tuesday. “I won't say we're on a numbers/time thing, but we're close to that. We're just gonna bring him along a little slower here.

“Do I think he'll play Thursday? I doubt it. It depends how he is tomorrow. But do I think by the weekend, or for sure next week, he'll be full-go ready to play? I think so. So far.”

Kohler underwent left foot surgery in mid-October and finally shed his walking boot last week. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds over 10.8 minutes while playing all 34 games last season as a freshman.

Fears update

Izzo said it is doubful Fears will be on the Spartans’ two upcoming road trips to his home state, Saturday at Northwestern and Jan. 11 at Illinois. The 6-2 freshman point guard is recovering from getting shot in his left thigh in the early-morning hours of Dec. 23 while in his hometown Joliet, Illinois.

Whether Fears will travel to road games later this month remains to be seen, Izzo said.

“There's some question about whether he can fly, so that'll be totally up to the doctors,” Izzo said. “But the minute he can, he will, because I think that'll be part of being a part of the team still. So we'll definitely take him with us.”

Fears returned to campus Friday and sat on the bench during MSU’s win over Indiana State. Izzo said he loved seeing how actively his rookie participated in team huddles “telling guys what to do” during the game like Mateen Cleaves did when he would be out of games in the late 1990s and 2000, even though Fears could have been sitting in a box above the court instead.

But along with the physical healing process, Izzo also is concerned about how Fears will handle things mentally in the coming weeks.

“I worry sometimes that this is going to really hurt him in the near-near future. Meaning, I think the Big Ten games start, he'll get depressed about some things,” Izzo said. “So we gotta keep him with us. Eventually, I might move him up to the front of the bench and make him an assistant with me, so he knows what's going on, or right behind me.

“But we gotta make sure we keep him engaged, because I think he'll still have some tough times ahead of him, to be honest with you.”

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

Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

Next up: Nittany Lions

Matchup: Michigan State (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) vs. Penn State (7-6, 1-1).

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday; Breslin Center, East Lansing.

TV/radio: Peacock (streaming only); WJR-AM (760).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball's Coen Carr 'more comfortable' in new role