Let's be clear from the start. Losing Nick Ward is a blow. Michigan State's junior forward is a talented low-post scorer who can rebound and run the floor. Sunday's news of a hairline fracture in his left hand should worry anyone who cares about the Spartans. When Ward was engaged — as he was often this season — there was no one quite like him in the Big Ten. Even at his worst, he forced double teams, which helped space the floor for MSU's shooters, especially when he found those shooters on kickouts. At his best? He was as efficient a scorer as Tom Izzo has had in the last decade. In fact, since the 2009-10 season, no player in the Big Ten has amassed a higher player efficiency rating than Ward. More:Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball worthy of a week's worth of hype Not Ethan Happ. Not Frank Kaminsky. Not Jared Sullinger. Not Draymond Green. This isn’t to say Ward is better player than those players. But it is a reminder that when Ward is rolling, he’s a unique force. Now, there have been games when foul trouble or missed defensive assignments or bad matchups have kept Ward on the bench, and the stats don’t always account for that. Still, MSU is obviously a more talented and deeper team with Ward in the rotation, with a much higher ceiling. But? If the Spartans HAD to lose another of their top four —Cassius Winston, Matt McQuaid, Kenny Goins or Ward — to an injury, after losing Joshua Langford earlier in the month, Ward is the most replaceable. It's a matter of roster construction and numbers. The Spartans have a capable backup for Ward in Xavier Tillman. They don't behind Winston, McQuaid or Goins. Obviously, Tillman will assume the starting role in Ward’s place. That’s the easy part. And while he can’t score around the rim like Ward, he’s not useless there, either. Of course, even if Tillman scores more, the majority of the replacement for Ward’s 15.1 points a game will have to be come from other spots on the floor. McQuaid, who scored 14 points Sunday against Ohio State and is increasingly aggressive on offense, is one candidate. Goins is another. Freshman wing Aaron Henry is yet another. Henry struggled Sunday and lost his starting spot in the second half. After a poised and confident performance against Wisconsin last week, he took a step back. He no longer has that luxury. Tom Izzo doesn’t need Henry to average double-digits for his offense to keep humming. But Henry can’t go scoreless, either. He must find consistent confidence. And fast. Along with finding more points on the perimeter and more offense down low from Tillman, Izzo now has to replace Tillman’s minutes off the bench — the sophomore forward averaged 21 minutes a game. Expect freshman Thomas Kithier to get the first chance to grab them. Kithier played 10 minutes Sunday, mostly because Ward was hurt in the second half and Tillman sat with foul trouble. Kithier was solid in the extended stint. He knows the offense. He sets good screens. He’s sneakily savvy. And he’s not afraid. That fearlessness will be tested now that he knows his role will expand. But even if he can only provide the 10 minutes he did against Ohio State, that will help settle the rotation. The rest of those minutes will come from Goins and some combination of forward Kyle Ahrens — if his balky back allows it — and Henry. Gabe Brown might get a longer look and, if the matchups are favorable, so could Marcus Bingham. Another immediate challenge will be navigating the psychological fallout of losing another talented teammate. When the team learned Langford needed season-ending foot surgery a few weeks ago, it wobbled. Langford, though, was a co-captain, and a proxy for the coaching staff on the court. It's no wonder his absence hit the team hard. Ward is more of a singular force. This isn’t to say he isn’t a team player. Just that his locker room vibe is different from Langford’s. Yet Izzo and his staff know they have to guard against another letdown. Still, Winston avoiding exhaustion is the biggest key to navigating the upcoming changes to the rotation. He is the most irreplaceable, and he wore down Sunday. You could see that in his play and in the box score — he shot 3-for-15. And though Winston hasn’t made excuses or complained about the load on his shoulders all year, Ward’s injury just made it heavier. Winston will likely feel pressure to score more and to find ways to make his remaining teammates even better. Winston said he was tired after the win over the Buckeyes. That he didn’t have his normal legs. Maintaining his endurance so he can maintain his player-of-the-year rhythm is critical. That job got harder Sunday. But not impossible. Yes, the odds of a deep postseason run changed when word spread that Ward would likely miss at least the rest of the regular season. But they didn't hit zero. This team has won this season because it’s more than the sum of its parts. We’re about to find out which parts can or can’t step up. Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.<doc-sep>Michigan State’s latest injury update on big man Nick Ward isn’t a good one. The Spartans may have lost a key contributor for an extended period of time. Ward injured his left (shooting) hand during today’s 62-44 win over Ohio State. What was originally described by head coach Tom Izzo as “a dislocated finger or something” is in fact a hairline fracture. According to a Michigan State release, there is no timetable for Ward’s return. The team is hopeful he will return before the end of the season. Ward suffered the injury late in the first half, per MSU. He did not start the second half and made a brief appearance before sitting out the last 13 minutes of game action. Nick Ward Sidelined During Sunday’s Michigan State Game pic.twitter.com/FAkttEMVsh — Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 17, 2019 Ward is averaging 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season. The junior scored nine points and pulled down six boards this afternoon. Michigan State has already lost veteran shooting guard Josh Langford for the season due to injury. If Ward misses the rest of the year as well, it would be another blow to the team’s title hopes. With Ward out of action, sophomore Xavier Tillman and freshman Thomas Kithier will likely be pushed into larger roles for the 11th-ranked Spartans.<doc-sep>
No. 11 Michigan State junior center Nick Ward is out indefinitely with a hairline fracture in his left hand, the school announced. Ward suffered the injury late in the first half of the Spartans' win over Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. A release from Michigan State said Ward will be "reevaluated on a weekly basis and it is hoped he will return before the end of the season." Ward was averaging 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 60.4 percent from the field this season, becoming a go-to option in the paint for Michigan State. He had notched four double-doubles and hit the 20-point mark on nine occasions this season. This is the second significant injury for Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the last few weeks. Junior guard Joshua Langford is out for the season with a left foot injury. Langford missed eight games with the injury in January, and then Izzo announced in late January that Langford was going to miss the rest of the campaign. The Spartans are 10-3 without Langford. They managed to pull out the win over Ohio State on Sunday after Ward exited, with a dominant second-half performance. Michigan State finished the game on a 20-2 run and held the Buckeyes to just 13 points after halftime. Without Ward, Xavier Tillman saw an increased role off the bench, and he's likely to move into the starting lineup. Freshman Thomas Kithier also saw double-figure minutes as a reserve for just the third time this season. Michigan State (21-5, 12-3 in the Big Ten) hosts Rutgers on Wednesday before heading to Ann Arbor for a top-10 matchup at Michigan.