2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Michigan State’s Xavier Booker
Xavier Booker is a 6-foot-10 big man that played for Cathedral High School for all four years he was in school. Per 247 Sports he was ranked the 11th prospect and the second center in the nation. Booker had offers from Indiana, Purdue, Auburn and Butler but ultimately elected to take his talents to Michigan State for his freshman year. Let’s dive into what we should expect to see from Booker for the Spartans this year.
Strengths
Booker is a skilled big man that most scouts consider an offensive prospect. The 6-foot-10 big man is a talented lefty that can score the ball at all three levels but is at his best as a scorer inside the painted area. He has a solid post game with a wide range of moves down in the low block. His touch is quite impressive for someone at that size and it allows him to convert on floaters and touch shots inside the arc.
What makes Booker unique is his stretch big ability as he’s a threat to shoot it from three. He should be utilized a ton as a screener as he’s capable as a roll-man or popping out to three. The passing is solid for a big man but at times the decision with the ball could be better. The Michigan State freshman is quite mobile on both ends of the floor and is able to get up and down the floor quicker than most centers.
We should anticipate Booker becoming a consistent double-digit scorer for the Spartans as long as he’s utilized properly on the offensive end, but that’s up to Coach Izzo at that point. In order for him to be effective and a positive player on the court, Booker needs the right amount of touches offensively.
Areas of Improvement
Booker still has some things to clean up on the defensive end as in the NBA if playing that center position, as you must be ready to protect the paint, defend the pick and roll properly and anchor a defense. At this stage Booker struggles at most of these things but some of which can be fixed with proper coaching and conditioning. It seems at times he lacks a ton of effort on the defensive end and getting back on defense which you never like to see from your big man.
If Booker isn’t able to become a solid or good defensive center, he may have to transition into becoming more of a power forward as it will hide some of his defensive woes while also being able to showcase more of his offensive talent. The shooting consistency could also be better as he’s a bit streaky as a shooter from three at this stage but the shooting upside is definitely there for him.
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