Why Xavier Booker Will Be UCLA’s X-Factor Next Season

Here is why Xavier Booker is poised to take a massive leap in the 2026-2027 season.

Mar 14, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) reacts after making a three point basket against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Following a very strong end of the 2025-2026 season, Xavier Booker's stock has risen immensely.

There are not many players in college basketball, let alone the Big Ten, who are 6'11" and shoot 43.3% from the three-point line. Fortunately for the Bruins, they have that player in Booker. While there have been ups and downs throughout the season, it has become clear that Booker's ceiling is higher than most.

Skill Set To Be Great

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) reacts against the UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Mentioned earlier, Booker has all the offensive capabilities to be a solid scorer for UCLA. While it might not mean that he goes for 20-plus points per game, it will surely mean that he will surpass his numbers from this season, which is always a plus.

Shooting at Booker's position is a rare trait, especially in college basketball. His ability to find open space behind the arc pressures defenses in overcorrecting, which in turn has allowed other Bruins to step up and exploit these weaknesses. If he can improve season to season, this will happen more often than not.

Concerns

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) makes a pass against the UCF Knights in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

One thing that is certain about an otherwise inconsistent player is his lack of physicality, which put Booker on the bench for most of the season. While technically a starter, we would see Booker play less than double-digit minutes due to his poor defensive prowess. But it seems like Booker is turning that corner.

Booker would finish the season averaging 1.2 blocks per game. Not to mention his four-block outing vs. UCF in the first round of tournament play. If there is even a slight chance that Booker can build on this, it would be reasonable to infer that next season, he could be a top defensive option for the Bruins

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA;UCF Knights center John Bol (7) grabs a rebound againist UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Another real concern about Booker next season is his lack of rebounding. Booker would finish out the 2025-2026 season averaging just 3.5 rebounds per game. Mind you, Booker is UCLA's tallest player on the court. His lack of rebounding could have made Mick Cronin hesitant to put him in for sustained minutes.

Now these weaknesses make sense. Mentioned earlier, Booker is great from behind the arc and outside of the paint. Because of this, we will commonly see Booker out of position to rebound in the first place. The obvious solution is to keep him at forward and bring in a true center during the offseason.

UCLA center Xavier Booker (1) looks on before a play against Michigan State during the first half of Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The bottom line in evaluating Booker's impact next season is whether UCLA can play to his strengths. If they are unable to build around him in some capacity, Booker could have a very underwhelming season. Either way, Booker has talent and could be the difference in a deep UCLA postseason run.