The Bruin With the Biggest Impact Down the Stretch

After falling to Gonzaga, the Bruins need this player to step up if there is any hope for a deep run in March.

The player in question is Xavier Booker, a 6-foot-11 forward who has been forced to play primarily at center. While Booker is a reliable scorer, his recent defensive struggles have exposed a glaring weakness—one that UCLA may have difficulty correcting as the season progresses.

Why Booker?

The reason Booker has the most significant role moving forward for the Bruins is that he plays in the most important position on the court, serving as the team's de facto center. College basketball as a whole has started to move into an era that favors big men over other positions.

We’ve seen how important big men have become in college basketball, most notably with Zach Edey at Purdue a few years ago, and more recently with Washington’s Hannes Steinbach, who gave the Bruins issues not that long ago.

Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) shoots the ball over Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery (17) during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Outside of defense, Booker's biggest struggles this season have been rebounding. This season, he is only averaging 5.1 rebounds per game, a number that is very low considering his role. His lack of rebounding has contributed to the Bruins being ranked 302nd in the country in rebounding.

While that ranking reflects a team statistic, Booker plays a crucial role in UCLA’s rebounding efforts. If he were consistently pulling down seven or more boards per game, the Bruins would be in a significantly better position overall.

That absence on the glass was especially evident in the loss to Gonzaga, where UCLA struggled to secure key rebounds when it mattered most. This key weakness also allowed Washington to get back in that matchup, where the Bruins would be outrebounded by 12.

Clash Royale — Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) rebounds the ball during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Arizona Wildcats at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

To put it more simply, Booker is not producing enough offensively to offset his lack of rebounding. Averaging just 10.6 points per game, he cannot afford to be pulling down only five rebounds a night while playing extended minutes at center

At that position, UCLA needs consistent physicality on the glass, and when that presence is missing, the margin for error shrinks dramatically. Without a true rebounding anchor, opposing bigs are able to control the paint, forcing the Bruins to overcompensate defensively and exposing weaknesses elsewhere in the lineup.

Moving forward, Booker must step up defensively and on the glass. UCLA can survive a dip in his scoring, but it cannot compete without consistent rebounding from its primary big. In today’s college basketball landscape, that shortcoming is simply too costly.

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