This was a rather easy choice.
Cameron Boozer is predicted to be the Memphis Grizzlies' best player three years from now by NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report.
Boozer is the new franchise player in Memphis in the post-Ja Morant era.
Boozer won the Player of the Year award last season in college. The Duke forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
In Summer League, Boozer played well, averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 77.3% from the free-throw line. The youngster made the Summer League First Team and led Memphis to the championship game, a contest the Golden State Warriors won.
Boozer's combination of playmaking, physicality and positional flexibility as a 6-foot-10 forward has drawn comparisons to the multi-skilled roster construction that defined the New York Knicks' 2025-26 championship approach, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Boozer is the son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer.
“Versatility is the name of the game. That’s what teams are looking for,” Cameron Boozer told The Athletic. “Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball. That’s what I feel like I can do best. I can screen. I can handle it. You can put me in a lot of different scenarios.”
The Grizzlies traded Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers this summer. Morant won the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year award. It would be captivating to see Boozer win the 2026-27 Rookie of the Year award in the first season of the post-Morant era.
Memphis is widely expected to start Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Cameron Boozer and Zach Edey next season. On paper, that's a pretty decent starting lineup.
It will be intriguing to see what type of numbers Cameron Boozer puts up next season. He was the third overall pick in this year's draft.
Cameron Boozer will make his preseason debut on October 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. His regular-season debut will be on October 21 against the Utah Jazz.
