
Would Duke star Cameron Boozer change the way the Chicago Bulls' offense operates?
The NCAA Men's Basketball season is over. The Michigan Wolverines took down a tough UConn Huskies team to win their first National Championship since 1989. The Duke Blue Devils fell to the Huskies on the back of freshman Braylon Mullins backbreaking 3-pointer to send the Huskies to the Final Four. From the minute the ball went through the net, we had the elephant in the room when it comes to Cameron Boozer's NBA projection addressed: he is an NBA power forward.
Many had already come to this conclusion, and a full season of playing next to true center Patrick Ngongba should've helped most realize this about Boozer. When you view him through the lens of a true four, his projection becomes much cleaner, to the point where I have moved Boozer back to No. 3 on my personal Big Board ahead of North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.
Let's breakdown what makes Boozer such a tantalizing fit in Chicago (outside of the fact the Bulls get to print "Boozer" jerseys again, and Stacey King should have some built-in nicknames ready).
OFFENSE
Cameron Boozer would be an excellent fit with pretty much any team due to his high basketball IQ and versatility on offense. The offensive versatility is likely what would interest the Bulls front office the most.
Josh Giddey (28.5% usage rate, 70th percentile per Cleaning The Glass) and Matas Buzelis (21.4% usage rate, 67th percentile) both have decent usage rates, but neither have dominant star-like usage rates that would make it difficult to fit another high-usage player into the lineup. Boozer (29.9% usage rate in his lone year at Duke) shares the same issue that Giddey does in terms of not necessarily possessing the "wiggle," or flexibility needed to shake defenders and bend your way to the rim at the next level, but where his game greatly differs is he has the strength to knock defenders off their path, and a promising 3-point shot as a youth player.
Boozer averaged 22.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.5 TOPG, and shot 39.1% from the 3-point line on 3.6 attempts per game.
The first thing you should think of when projecting Boozer's fit in Chicago is how he solves a decent chunk of their offensive woes in the halfcourt. Boozer (3.4 offensive rebounds per game) functions at a high level offensively whether you are asking him to be a complimentary player of the focal point.
He uses his 6-foot-9, 250 lb. frame to bully smaller defenders with an array of hook shots and up-and-unders. Boozer shot 61.5% on 2-point FGAs and attempted 7.4 FTAs per game. His game may not have been the prettiest, but it was efficient (65.3% True Shooting).
While the simple bully-ball is how Boozer gets the majority of his offense, his shooting touch and processing is what makes him special. He shot an impressive 39% from deep on an albeit small sample size of 3.6 3-point attempts per game, but with a 78.9% free throw percentage, Boozer projects to be a decent floor spacer as his game matures.
In Chicago, a Giddey-Boozer or Buzelis-Boozer pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop likely becomes a staple play, with both players involved capable of playing the role of screener or ball-handler. Boozer's 4.1 APG showcases how he was generating an impressive amount of looks for his team as a big man. In Chicago, his combination of bruising inside scoring, solid jump-shooting, and advanced passing could create even easier looks for players like Leonard Miller or Rob Dillingham.
I believe Boozer's high-basketball IQ makes him almost incapable of having a bad game, and that alone makes his ceiling higher than most believe. In Boozer's final college game, he racked up 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. The 3-point shot wasn't falling but he shot 52.9% on 2s and got to the free throw line plenty (6-8 FTs) against a physical and experienced UConn Huskies frontline.
In the ACC Conference Tournament, Boozer had one of his worst games as a college player. He shot 3-17 from the field against the Virginia Cavaliers. In a game where Boozer shot terribly to the tune of 13 points, he also contributed 8 rebounds (5 offensive), 8 assists, and only 3 turnovers in the win. THAT to me showcases the type of winning pedigree that comes with drafting Boozer.
DEFENSE
Defensively, I am not extremely concerned about Boozer. Playing him at the five with regularity would be a tall task in the NBA (no pun intended). Official measurements could say otherwise, but I wouldn't expect him to be a rim protector at the NBA level.
Boozer does process the game at a high level, and I envision him being in the right spot on defense even if he isn't necessarily making plays. He collected 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game during his lone year at Duke, showcasing quick hands but not the length necessary to bother lanky forwards. He gathered in 10.2 rebounds per game (6.9 defensive), and much like Giddey, being in the right spot to contest and cleaning the glass is likely his best hope to be a contributor on defense.
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) holds the ball as UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) defends during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesTo be a true difference maker at the NBA level, Boozer will have to show the ability to slide his feet and stick with smaller players on switches for at least a limited amount of time. I have the most doubt in his ability to do this (although I have seen it in spurts). Despite his strength being such a massive part of his game, his high school tape tells me it might not be the worst idea for Boozer to slim down a tad bit, but NBA trainers will be better equipped to tackle that question.
Ultimately, Boozer in Chicago means him playing PF, with Buzelis providing a ton of help as a roving shot-blocker at SF, and another shot-blocker at C (perhaps Nick Richards as a stopgap, or the returning Jalen Smith). Boozer knows his limitations, and his rebounding and willingness to find a body to box out on defense provides enough positives for him to not be played off the floor in a high leverage game.


