Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Xavier Cooks emerged as one of the NBL’s most complete players, combining athleticism, versatility, and a strong all-around skill set. His ability to score, rebound, defend, and facilitate has made him a valuable contributor wherever he has played.

Here’s a detailed overview of Xavier Cooks’ profile:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Xavier Cooks
  • Nickname: N/A
  • Nationality: Australian
  • Date of Birth: 19 August 1995
  • Hometown: Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
  • Height: 6’8″ (203 cm)
  • Weight: 183 lb (83 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 0 inches (213 cm)
  • Shoe Size: N/A
  • Jersey Number: #12 — Winthrop Eagles; #12 — Washington Wizards
  • Position: Forward / Guard-Forward
  • High School: Australian Institute of Sport Centre of Excellence (listed by Winthrop as his high school/previous school) (Winthrop University Athletics)
  • College: Winthrop (2014–2018)
  • NBA Draft: Undrafted, 2018 NBA Draft (no team, no pick)
  • Teams Played For:
    • Illawarra Hawks (Waratah) — 2013
    • BA Centre of Excellence — 2014
    • Winthrop Eagles — 2014–2018
    • s.Oliver Würzburg — 2018–2019
    • Sydney Kings — 2019–2023
    • Wellington Saints — 2022
    • Washington Wizards — 2023
    • Chiba Jets Funabashi — 2023–2024
    • Sydney Kings — 2024–present
  • Championship Rings: 2× NBL champion (2022, 2023); also won the 2024 EASL title with Chiba Jets Funabashi (Wikipedia)
  • Children: One daughter, Niah (facebook.com)
  • Siblings: Georgia Cooks, Dominique Cooks (Wikipedia)

Player Archetype / Play Style

Xavier Cooks’ player archetype is that of a versatile two-way combo forward who can impact games without needing heavy isolation volume. Defensively, he operates as a switchable, high-motor piece who can guard across the frontcourt, rotate quickly, rebound his area, and create disruption with length and timing. Offensively, he thrives as a connective forward: running the floor, finishing around the rim, cutting into space, attacking closeouts, and keeping the ball moving rather than stalling possessions. Physically, he brings a lean 6’8″ frame, mobility, spring, and coordination that let him play above the rim and cover ground easily. Put together, his play style is built on energy, versatility, transition pressure, rebounding, and smart all-around team basketball rather than one-dimensional scoring. (NBL Australia)

Scouting Report

Xavier Cooks has the kind of game that becomes more interesting the longer you watch because so much of his value comes between the obvious plays. He doesn’t need isolations or a steady diet of post touches to influence an offense. Instead, he’s constantly slipping behind ball watching defenders, timing baseline cuts, sprinting into empty-side actions, and turning short-roll catches into quick decisions before the defense has a chance to reset. To me, that’s where his feel really separates him. He sees the next rotation early enough to thread passes to the dunker spot or spray the ball to the opposite corner without overhandling. His scoring comes naturally off movement, transition, offensive rebounds, and opportunistic drives, but when defenders force him into creating against a packed paint, his lack of advanced shot creation becomes more apparent and his touch can fluctuate outside his comfort zones. Defensively, he covers an unusual amount of ground for a forward, arriving as the low man to contest at the rim before recovering out to shooters, and he’s comfortable switching onto wings for stretches because his feet rarely stop moving. The interesting thing is that he doesn’t chase blocks for the sake of highlights; he’ll often stay vertical, force a difficult release, and trust the possession to finish with a rebound. The trade-off is that stronger interior scorers can dislodge him on deep post seals, and against bigger centers he’s better helping from the side than wrestling one-on-one for entire possessions. I’ve always thought his ideal role is as an interchangeable frontcourt connector in an up-tempo system where everyone is expected to pass, cut, and defend multiple actions rather than stand in fixed positions. He complements high-usage creators because he fills the spaces they leave instead of demanding the ball himself. There are shades of Thaddeus Young in the way he knits possessions together with timely cuts, passing, and defensive rotations, while some of his open-floor activity resembles a leaner Brandon Clarke without relying on the same level of vertical explosiveness. His game isn’t built around one signature skill; it’s built around consistently arriving in the right place a split second before everyone else.

Sources:
Winthrop Athletics — 12 Xavier Cooks – Men’s Basketball
NBA.com — Wizards Sign Xavier Cooks to Multi-Year Deal
NBL — Cooks Officially Signs NBA Contract
NBL — Kings Win First Championship in 17 Years with Record Crowd
Sydney Kings — Xavier Cooks