Nov 1, 2026 3:30 PM
Updated Nov 3, 2026 9:43 PM
Cameron Boozer scored 27 points efficiently against Sacramento, showing why early shooting concerns shouldn't overshadow his remarkable rookie start.
The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-0, and rookie forward Cameron Boozer is a large reason why. His efficiency has been poor so far, but Grizzlies fans should not be worried about that.
For some fans, that's an obvious statement. Boozer is a rookie. The fact that he's been inefficient to date should come as a surprise to exactly zero reasonable people. Almost every first-year player struggles in one area or another.
Yet, there has been much discussion. Some fans are worried about Boozer's poor field goal percentage.
Against the Kings on Saturday night, a 136-105 Grizzlies win, he showed why those concerns are vastly overstated.
Boozer Shows What His Efficiency Can Become
Granted, these were the Kings. They're 0-6, so dominating them isn't a major accomplishment in a vacuum.
Yet, dominating bad teams is something that good teams - and star players - have to do. Moreover, dominating any team as a rookie is notable.
So, let's talk about Boozer's dominance against Sacramento.
He finished this game with 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Boozer has had a lot of impressive stat lines this season. He's a nightly triple-double threat, but he hasn't had many games with this type of shooting efficiency.
The best part, though, is that he's likely to have several more as the season wears on. Grizzlies fans can safely assume he'll improve:
And given how strong his rookie season has been, that should scare the Grizzlies' rivals.
Boozer Already Looks Like a Future Star
Let's zoom out from this game and look at the first six games of Boozer's career in the aggregate.
He's averaging 17.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per contest. Those are remarkable counting stats for a rookie.
Yes, Boozer is shooting 37.6% from the field. That leaves much room for improvement. Boozer needs to improve his touch around the rim and from the floater range.
That said, if his 36.8% shooting from three-point range on 6.3 attempts per game doesn't improve one iota, it's an acceptable mark for a primary playmaking forward in terms of volume and accuracy. That's encouraging.
More broadly, nobody should have any concerns about a rookie after his first six games. Boozer has almost his entire NBA career left. Grizzlies fans should be celebrating how good he already is, not worrying about his warts. It also has to be said that the fact that the team is 6-0 suggests that Boozer's well-rounded skill set is helping the team win games:
How many rookies can say that?
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