Michigan State basketball: Xavier Booker on the same page as Tom Izzo
It's been an interesting season for Xavier Booker and Michigan State basketball.
The five-star freshman came in as one of the most highly sought-after big men in the 2023 recruiting class and Michigan State fans were thrilled at the idea of potentially having a dominant post player for the first time since Xavier Tillman. It's been way too long.
Unfortunately, he's played in just 19 of the Spartans' 27 games and he is averaging just 8.0 minutes per game in those outings. He has been used more lightly than we could have imagined but he's been getting more playing time lately. But is it enough to keep him happy?
Obviously fans are going to talk and rumors will swirl about playing time leading to potential transfers, but Booker spoke to the media on Friday and it didn't sound like that was part of his plan.
… More on Xavier Booker: Some of the progress he feels comes from the 20 pounds he’s put on (up to 236). Says he couldn’t have walled off the Iowa power forward like he did Tuesday earlier in the season. Says the coaches are getting him more reps in practice with the starters.
— Graham Couch (@Graham_Couch) February 23, 2024
Hearing that Booker is in "alignment" with Tom Izzo about his development and playing time is refreshing because you never want to see these kids frustrated about not seeing the floor, even when they're clearly not ready. Early on, he wasn't even close to ready and now he looks like he's getting to the point that he can play 8-10 minutes comfortably.
Plus, if he sticks around and keeps developing like he is, he could be a 20-plus minute per game type of big next season, dominating the post in the Big Ten. All he'll need to do is add a little more muscle.
It sounds like Booker is happy with where he's at and that puts to rest a lot of the narratives about him being disgruntled and potentially looking to transfer. You love to hear it.