Don't let yourself get caught up in conjecture; Cameron Boozer is not the right pick for Utah.
NBA Mock Draft artists must be getting really bored as they sit on their hands in wait for the upcoming NBA draft. And understandably so, I feel their pain as the tension of every passing day gives way to new anxieties, new concerns, and new half-hearted predictions.
It's tough to differentiate one's voice from the onslaught of NBA coverage nowadays, with every writer and every website intent on squeezing every possible ounce of engagement from its consumers. The most natural method of drawing eyes is to say something off-beat. Making a hot take. Going down the path less traveled (shoutout to Robert Frost).
At times, these predictions and mock drafts can even align with other abstract thinkers. Such has been the case with the growing noise tying the Utah Jazz to the son of a former franchise star, Carlos Boozer. Cameron is a vastly different player than his father, but is projected as one of the most NBA-ready players in the soon-arriving draft class.
It began with Bill Simmons' gut-feeling that the Ainge family was intent on shaking up the status quo and picking the player they love, regardless of how well he fit on their current roster.
Then Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor hopped on the bandwagon, projecting Boozer to come off the board second overall.
"I’m moving Boozer into this slot, and it’s not based on any intel at all. It’s just a gut feeling based on history. Once upon a time, the Celtics had the first pick in the draft. Then they traded it! Boston worked out Markelle Fultz [...] Alarm bells went off. So the Celtics traded down and landed Jayson Tatum in what has gone down as one of the greatest trades in the history of basketball. So, you’re telling me that a Jazz front office, now led by Danny Ainge and Austin Ainge, will take Darryn Peterson?"
O'Connor doubled down on the idea that Peterson's off-court red flags could dissuade the Utah front office from picking him at all.
That's two prominent voices tossing fuel on the Boozer bonfire, but the fact that a prediction is popular does not make it true.
Utah has already been confirmed to have no reservations about picking Peterson, and he's the perfect candidate to fill the open backcourt spot alongside Keyonte George in the staring lineup. Boozer, meanwhile, would be lost behind a wall of veteran front court talent.
To the point of the Cameron Boozer crowd, the Duke star and National Player of the Year has already worked out for the Jazz, and is absolutely a candidate to be selected, assuming Washington doesn't strike first to take the analytics' darling.
CBS predicted the Jazz would stretch for Caleb Wilson second overall -- that's not happening -- so take the Cameron Boozer hype with a grain of salt.
