Predicting Michigan State basketball’s starting 5 after trip to Spain

Power forward: Xavier Booker

The player with the highest overall potential on the team is Xavier Booker, and he will finally get the chance to prove himself this year as a starter.

Booker may find himself playing some center as well, but I’m choosing to slot him in at forward because I feel that is his most natural position.

Last year we all remember the frustrations we felt from not seeing Booker play as much as we hoped. A lot of that however was for good reason. Tom Izzo will never give anyone extended minutes if they’re a liability on defense, and early on that was the case with Booker. The biggest reason why he struggled with that was his lack of strength.

Fast forward to this offseason and it’s already being reported that Booker’s added a ton of good weight in the weight room, which in turn should really help with his struggles on defense.

The sky is the limit now that Booker’s in line to receive extended minutes. He very well could lead Michigan State in scoring, but similarly to Akins I have some concerns with his consistency. But hopefully he’s able to prove me wrong and be a dominant force this season.