Xavier Booker has been like a personable employee stocking shelves instead of interacting with customers. A skilled chef making food deliveries. A roofer inspecting a basement.
He’s been terribly miscast.
At Michigan State, the 6-foot-11 forward spent way too much time lingering on the perimeter, hoisting three-pointers, when he should have been doing other traditional big-man things.
“You’ve got to be one of the best mobile big guys in pick-and-roll basketball and running the floor, protecting the rim, finishing above the rim,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of young players with Booker’s size. “You can make a three, and that’s a great thing.