Is Anton Bonke Already Falling Out of Michigan State's Rotation?

What in the world is going on between Tom Izzo and Michigan State center Anton Bonke?

Bonke was stripped of his starting duties in the third and final exhibition game for the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday afternoon.

On top of not getting the start, Bonke played just three minutes in the first half and, for the second consecutive game, did not see the floor in the second half.

Against Marquette on Sunday, Bonke finished with one defensive rebound in his three minutes of action, all of which came in the first half. This now begs the question, as we have seen this happen in consecutive games, with Bonke getting just six minutes against UConn, all in the first half: Is Bonke in the doghouse?

The 7-foot-2 center from Charlotte was brought in as Michigan State's lone transfer portal acquisition this year. Though Izzo has stated time and time again that he prefers recruiting at the high school level over using the transfer portal, he has still made an attempt to add players through the portal every year.

Last year, his big portal addition was Kaleb Glenn from Florida Atlantic, who unfortunately was injured before the season started and did not get to play for the Spartans. However, Glenn is back, and he, too, was short on minutes in the final exhibition game, receiving just four minutes of playing time.

Izzo gave Bonke the starting spot to begin the season, as he started against Incarnate Word and UConn. However, he has since fallen out of the rotation, with Jesse McCullough and Ethan Taylor garnering most of the minutes at the big man position.

Over the last two exhibition games, Bonke has accumulated nine total minutes, two points on 1-for-1 shooting from the field, an 0-for-1 mark at the free-throw line and four total rebounds, three defensive and one offensive. He has struggled to make an impact in his limited time on the floor.

It almost looks like Bonke trained so hard this offseason that his legs now aren't able to keep up with how fast he wants to move. With the regular season starting soon, he has just eight days to figure that out, as Michigan State's first regular-season game tips off next Tuesday against Quinnipiac.

My guess right now is that McCullough will take the starting spot. This doesn't look like a move by Izzo to save Bonke's legs. Instead, it looks like a sign of what's to come, with Bonke potentially not getting much playing time as Izzo and the Spartans roll with McCullough and Taylor.

However, the Spartans did lose both games in which Bonke barely played. After dropping two exhibition games to start the season, the question remains: Was Izzo keeping Bonke under wraps, ready to unleash him when the regular season starts, or does Michigan State have a big man problem?