MSU's Tom Izzo says Xavier Booker will play more, but we've heard that before

Michigan State fans have been clamoring for more of five-star freshman Xavier Booker all season, but so far head coach Tom Izzo has not obliged.

The 6-foot-11, 220-pounder has averaged just 8.1 minutes per game during his freshman campaign, and those numbers have dropped to less than six minutes per game in the nine (out of 15) Big Ten games in which Booker has played. 

Izzo's tone towards Booker has changed somewhat as the season has progressed. Early this year, the head coach would often say "Book is not the savior" as Michigan State struggled to a 4-5 start. Over the past several weeks, Izzo has said he wants or needs "to play Booker more". We heard a similar message on Monday, coming off the Spartans' 73-63 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor.

"It was only three or four minutes, but we're just seeing him so different," Izzo said of Booker's play against the Wolverines. "I told him the other day, if I took the film of July, August and September, compared it to October and November and then compared it to now, it would be like two different people. First of all, he is 20 pounds heavier."

There's no doubt Booker's slight frame held him back early this season. He simply couldn't match up on the interior with battle-tested Big Ten post players. As March approaches, Izzo has noticed a difference in the lanky freshman.

"His aggressiveness, his physical-ness, it's getting so much better in practice and even in the game," Izzo said. "There's a comfort level now and you're going to see more minutes out of him. I really feel that way, I believe that, because I'm really excited about how his attitude's been, how he handled maybe a tough situation and how he's coming out of it."

I'd like to believe what Izzo is saying, but we've heard all of this before. Booker has not played in two of Michigan State's last five Big Ten games, against Illinois and Maryland. Those "DNPs" are recent enough to suggest Izzo still doesn't trust the freshman when the going gets tough.

The Spartans have two more games in February, before the all-important month of March arrives. Put simply, my response to Izzo's assertion about Booker's playing time is, "I'll believe it when I see it".

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