Michigan State basketball: It's time to give Xavier Booker a shot

When Tom Izzo landed five-star Xavier Booker, it felt like he found his next star big man. Michigan State basketball hadn't had a dominant force in the post in years but Booker was going to change that. Heck, he was even considered a one-and-done prospect early on.

But he made sure to temper our expectations for Booker early on as summer workouts were happening and into the fall. Izzo said that we'd have to be patient with his progress.

Booker wasn't in Big Ten playing shape yet and needed to put on some muscle in order to contend with the bigs in the conference. That much was very obvious early on. He had the skill to be one of the better bigs in the conference but he got pushed around defensively in the post and he didn't have the strength to score on his own in the post.

However, after yet another disappointing performance from the post players against Wisconsin, people are clamoring for more Booker.

Why? Because he came in against Wisconsin and looked like the Spartans' best big in just a couple of minutes of action, scoring five points.

And I can't say I blame them.

Michigan State needs to get some production in the post and Booker can at the very least provide an offensive boost from the five spot. He can stretch the floor and take the bigs out of the post which could allow the guards to drive the lane easier. And he can make shots in the mid-range, too. It's also not like he's unable to score down low, he can be a lob master. Throw it up to him and watch him throw it down. Easy.

Honestly, it's time to try anything at this point because Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper are just not getting the job done on offense. Even if you have to play Booker with one of the other two defense-first bigs, that would provide an extra boost from a big.

Make it happen, Tom.