Tom Izzo dispelled the erroneous notion that he won’t use the transfer portal. Twice over.

The next steps, now that the roster looks set for Michigan State basketball heading into the summer, is for Izzo to fit the pieces together, and for the players returning to figure out their new roles.

The Spartans will look much different when they take the court in November than they did in March, when their 20-15 season came to an end at the hands of top-seeded North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Top contributors Tyson Walker and Malik Hall graduated, starting point guard A.J. Hoggard announced he is heading to Vanderbilt and one-time starting big man Mady Sissoko transferred to California.

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That leaves Izzo looking for star power to return his program to the NCAAs for a 27th straight year — and, hopefully, last longer in March Madness than the departing group was able to achieve the past three years. And it makes the next three months, before the Spartans travel to Spain in mid-August, critical to laying the groundwork for a schedule that jumps off in November with a big-time matchup vs. Kansas at the Champions Classic in Atlanta and MSU's first trip to the Maui Classic since 2019, followed by a 20-game Big Ten slate that includes trips to UCLA and USC and visits from Oregon and Washington.

Here is a checklist of work to be done for Izzo and his players this summer, before their 10-day trip to Spain from Aug. 13-22:

1. Get to the point

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Perhaps the biggest albatross the past few seasons has been Izzo’s inability to get the type of steady play he demands from his point guard position, an issue since the coronavirus pandemic ended Cassius Winston’s final season prematurely in 2020. Experiments with Foster Loyer, Rocket Watts and Hoggard running the team produced inconsistent production.

Izzo feels he has a Mateen Cleaves-type leader in Jeremy Fears Jr., who continues to progress in his return from a gunshot wound to his upper left leg that ended his freshman season in December. Fears showed tantalizing talent in his brief 12-game debut, with an ability to run in transition, score and distribute while making those around him elevate their performances. He posted videos of himself getting back to playing in recent weeks, as well as one of him dunking (though not during a game), after progressively working his way back to shooting and then drillwork by the end of the Spartans’ season.

But what typically is a summer of personal growth heading into a sophomore season remains about rehabilitation for Fears. Getting him fully healthy for the season, even if that means sitting out what would be a tremendous opportunity for development in Spain, is the priority to ensure Fears can continue on the progression of being a difference-maker long-term.

The overseas trip then can become a showcase for junior Tre Holloman and incoming freshman Jase Richardson (son of former MSU star Jason Richardson), to show Izzo they deserve minutes behind Fears (or in place of him should there be lingering issues). Holloman was MSU’s most pleasant surprise last season and a test case of how critical the freshman-to-sophomore transition can be, emerging as a dynamic two-way player who can handle the ball and score from the perimeter.

The hope is that Richardson, with his 6-foot-3 frame, can follow the 6-2 Holloman’s blueprint and contribute both at point and shooting guard, but he also will need to quickly adjust defensively to the college game.

2. Making moves

No one should be happier about the additions of Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler and the departures of Hoggard and Walker than Jaden Akins.

The 6-4 guard spent the past three years on the wing instead of at his natural shooting guard spot. And while both the two spots are mostly interchangeable in Izzo’s offense, it often forced Akins to give up sometimes 3-4 inches against opposing wings with longer wingspans. Working against more similar-sized defenders should give Akins more room on his 3-point shot and provide opportunities to take them off the dribble, something he has known he must improve after testing the NBA draft process last spring.

More importantly, this is the chance for Akins to step out of the shadows of the veterans who left and assume ownership of the team. Somewhat quiet and stoic, the senior-to-be must become more vocal and a guiding force to help his younger teammates and newcomers understand Izzo’s demands.

Behind Akins, Holloman will be the second option at shooting guard, as he is at the point. Entering his third season, expect Holloman, along with Fears, to also emerge as emotional leaders.

The trip to Spain also should give an idea of what type of impact 6-4 freshman shooting guard Kur Teng can make. He and Richardson will be battling for minutes with the two returning veterans.

3. Fidler on the wing

Fidler should be an immediate offensive centerpiece next to Akins.

The 6-7, 217-pound swingman averaged 20.1 points and 6.3 rebounds while making 35.6% from 3-point range last season as the focus of Omaha’s offense. MSU’s games against what is expected to be high-level international competition in August will give a hint of how much of that scoring will translate to the Big Ten.

Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand should provide Izzo with lineup versatility.

Carr, a sturdy 6-5 sophomore, showed his ability to deliver highlight dunks and scoring down low but must spend this summer developing his jump shot. Defenders sagged off him anytime he touched the ball in the midrange (let alone on the perimeter), which neutralized his innate ability to slash to the basket off the dribble in the half-court offense. He also should see small forward time in smaller, more athletic lineups.

The 6-5 Normand, meanwhile, is more of a spot-up shooter who will need to work on the things Carr is good at —attacking the basket and running in transition. After redshirting last season, this summer and the Spain trip will be vital for him to shake off the rust and get ready to face college opponents.

4. Open the Book

As he watched the North Carolina team that would beat him two nights later emerge from the locker room in Charlotte, North Carolina, Izzo openly lamented how small his team looked last season.

Xavier Booker, and others, will change all of that this winter.

Of all the questions and frustrations from fans about Izzo’s rotation in the last few years, none can match how the Hall of Fame coach brought along the five-star Booker last season. Yet by the end of the season, the 6-11 freshman started to show more physicalness in the post and battling for rebounds while offensively stretching the floor from behind the arc.

Continuing to bulk up and get stronger are important summer missions for Booker, as is working on his understanding of Izzo’s gap defense to prevent getting beaten off the dribble. His ability to hit from deep presents a chance to put four perimeter threats on the floor at once and free up space on the interior.

Freshman Jesse McCulloch arrives with a lesser prospect pedigree (three stars) but similar size to Booker, a 6-10-and-growing stretch-four with a decent jump shot who also shows willingness to operate around the basket. Building strength and stamina will be vital for him to crack the rotation behind Booker, junior Carson Cooper and Carr.

5. Building (on the) blocks

The addition of Utah State/Longwood transfer 7-footer Szymon Zapala gives Izzo 13 scholarship players for the first time in the portal era and shores up the hole left by Sissoko’s transfer. However, the pressure will be on the junior tandem of the 6-11 Cooper and 6-9 Jaxon Kohler to prove Izzo’s belief in their abilities.

After Kohler looked primed for a breakout, his sophomore season never got on track after October foot surgery that sidelined him until January, mustering just 9.2 minutes a game in 21 appearances. Getting back his stamina and sharpening his defense while working on his back-to-the-basket moves are summer priorities.

With Kohler hampered and Sissoko struggling, Cooper — a late scholarship addition in 2022-23 who nearly took a redshirt that year — found himself thrust into a starting role in the final four games last season but averaged just 3.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in nearly 17 minutes per game overall. Improving his hands and offense around the basket are necessary, but Cooper’s defense and long wingspan will keep him as a pivotal part of the rotation.

That leads to Izzo’s biggest task of the summer: Figuring out how to best deploy that newfound height to maximize their potential into production that has been missing on the block. And how to turn all of it into a title contender by the time the Spartans return from Spain for the Big Ten bullfight that’s ahead.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball summer mission: Develop cohesion, new roles