2026 questions that remain, will Xavier Booker be the starting center?

Xavier Booker transferred to UCLA last season after two years with Michigan State. He stepped in as the starting center, providing an athletic presence for the team and shot blocking abilities. Booker battled inconsistencies in his junior season with the team. But saw a jump in his play once he started to come off the bench. As UCLA started to embrace the three-guard set when Skyy Clark returned.

One area that Booker really improved upon was his 3-point shooting. It was a part of his game that he really struggled with at Michigan State. But last year he came in and shot 43.3% from deep. After shooting 23.3% in his sophomore season. Booker showed to be a stretch five and not a traditional type of center that can play back to the basket. He will get his fair share of blocks with his athleticism.

UCLA could really benefit from getting a traditional center through the transfer portal. Allowing them to play better matchups against teams. Rotating between Booker and another center based on what their opponents have. The main goal would be for UCLA to get a wing and a center with their last two open scholarships. That would open a ton of opportunities for this team with starting lineup and bench play, so that they could best utilize the strengths of their roster.

Booker would be a huge boost off of the bench. That was the area that UCLA really struggled with in 2025. But they saw a huge jump once they received Clark back and kept Trent Perry with the starters. You cannot have your starters scoring 95% of the points again and expect to succeed. Booker will see a jump in his game in his senior season, and he could dominate some matchups in a lower leverage situation.

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