Michigan State basketball needs post production. So why hasn't Xavier Booker played more?

EAST LANSING — Xavier Booker spent three of Michigan State basketball’s past four games sitting down the bench from Tom Izzo. Waiting for his chance to get on the court.

And waiting. And waiting.

The freshman big man knows why. His Hall of Fame head coach knows why and has told Booker. Even if fans can’t understand why Izzo has not been playing his five-star forward.

“I would say just being more physical, being more aggressive and just playing hard all the time,” Booker said after practice Thursday afternoon. “Those are the main things coach harps on me about. So it's just doing those things consistently on a consistent basis.”

CHRIS SOLARI: Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball have a big problem to solve

That doesn’t mean Booker isn’t surprised he has not been logging many minutes. But it also doesn’t mean the 2023 McDonald’s All-American is looking to leave the Spartans anytime soon. It’s not even a debate for the 6-foot-11 Indianapolis native.

“No, not at all. I mean, I'm still here,” Booker said. “Obviously, we're still in a season, so I can't really do that. And two, I don't think I want to go down that route, either. That's kind of running away from the grind. I don't want to do that. So I just got to accept it.

“It's gonna be hard regardless, so you just got to keep pushing through, keep taking it day by day.”

Izzo is acutely aware of the sensitive situation, particularly in this era of consistent roster fluidity brought on by the transfer portal. After another game of poor production from his post players in Sunday’s 80-74 loss at Nebraska, Izzo said he wants to give Booker more minutes Saturday when the Spartans face No. 6 Baylor at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

But he also cautioned critics who aren’t privy to how Booker has looked in practice going against senior Mady Sissoko and sophomore Carson Cooper on a daily basis.

“Book has been great. He's just just got a ways to go,” Izzo said Thursday. “He's gotta get the motor going, he's gotta get his strength going. He's gotta learn what it's like to play at this at this level. And Book has been no problem. I asked him the other day why he kind of seemed down in the dumps. He said, ‘I'm just mad at myself, because I haven't done enough.’”

Tipoff between the Spartans (4-5) and Bears (9-0) is 2 p.m. Saturday.

Booker has averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.7 minutes over six games off the bench. The bulk of his 63 minutes this season have come against low-major opponents. He played 5 minutes against No. 19 Duke and 6 minutes against Butler but did not receive any playing time during losses to No. 1 Arizona, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

“It's been an adjustment,” Booker said. “But I know there's things that I need to do better, in terms of controlling that. Obviously, that's new for me. But I just gotta keep working and just kind of keep a positive attitude about everything and just keep moving forward.”

Only three of Booker’s field goals have come inside the arc, where he has spent most of his court time. He has hit six of 20 attempts, including going 3-for-13 from 3-point range, and has just one of 11 rebounds on the offensive glass in his 63 minutes. He also has three assists and three turnovers.

Defensively, Booker has three blocks but has struggled with assignments and getting pushed around when he does try and mix it up on the block for rebounds. Still, Izzo sees the talent — even though trying to play Booker, who is up to 230 pounds, against bigger, older (“sometimes 23 years old”) post players remains a concern.

“Book is a work in progress,” Izzo said. “You can't believe all the rankings. He's a damn good player. He's probably not the (fifth-best recruit) in the country or whatever. He's a damn good player. He's got very good skills. He's got great hands. He's got a 42-inch vertical, and he has trouble getting a rebound. His physicalness ... is one of the things we're working through. It's gonna take some time.”

Booker said he has spent extra time watching film with Izzo and other coaches “so I can fix those things and eventually help the team and contribute to wins.” His roommate, freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., said the two have talked constantly together about expectations and the reality of the new level.

“It's a lot different, obviously, from high school,” Fears said. “And it's, I would say, maybe a bigger transition for him, just being a bigger player. He's more of a four or a five, and it's harder obviously (because) four or fives are bigger and stronger. And that's usually a harder transition than maybe for guards. …

“We kind of knew it wasn't gonna be easy. This is the best conference in basketball. And just coming here to be able to play big games and big moments, obviously, there's gonna be ups and downs. But no matter what, we’ll work through it together.”

Finding consistent post production has been a significant struggle for the Spartans. Sissoko is averaging 4.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes. Cooper is posting 3.2 points and 5.3 boards in 18.4 minutes. They combined for two points (by Cooper), three rebounds (by Sissoko) and no free-throw attempts in Sunday's loss to Nebraska. The Spartans remain without 6-9 sophomore Jaxon Kohler, who is still recovering from October foot surgery and also needed to use forward Malik Hall on the block when going to a smaller lineup.

“We've challenged those guys. We've challenged Booker,” Izzo said. “We're trying to get a little better. All three guys have played a little better in that area in the last three days, so that was encouraging. … It does frustrate me with people that have never been at practice, never seen them, and they got all their opinions. And that affects the kids, too. I'd say they all got to play better, but I think they're capable of playing better.”

Booker is keeping his goals simple for Saturday, if he does see the extended action Izzo has hinted at.

“If he gives me an opportunity to play and contribute more, I just got to take advantage of that,” Booker said. “That's really it.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball's Xavier Booker vows to 'keep pushing'