EAST LANSING — Jaden Akins fought back from early September surgery for a stress reaction in his left foot in time for Michigan State basketball’s season-opener about two months later.
Four games into his return, against Villanova on Nov. 18, Akins tweaked his left foot. He missed the next four games to rehab, both physically and mentally after the setback, then returned and looked winded at times in a home loss to Northwestern.
“I was just kind of annoyed, because I just didn't want to have to go down the same road again,” Akins recalled Monday.