Cameron Boozer needs to play with a rim-protector, and Jaren Jackson Jr. needs rebounding help. Could their games complement each other?
Cameron Boozer is a versatile all-world talent. After coming up short in the tournament, he seems poised to take out his frustrations on the league, similar to how Chris Webber did after calling a game-ending timeout that cost Michigan in the 90s. Boozer is a tantalizing mix of skill, measurables, and force. One thing you can't teach that he also has in spades is the ability to go after the basketball and be the first to it.
Former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., who the Jazz have lured to their frontcourt, has only one glaring weakness in his game. He doesn't rebound like an elite big man. He's a shot-blocker extraordinaire, can pick and roll or pop, is ambidextrous at the rim, and light on his feet. In a 40-minute game, Boozer averaged an impressive 10.2 boards last year and racked up 23 in one game alone. Jackson has now averaged under 6 rebounds for three consecutive seasons.
While the Jazz can feel comfortable handing Jackson the keys to the franchise based on his all-around game, they could make his life easier by giving him a bruising rebounder.
When Boozer's father, Carlos, was on the Jazz, he was a pick-and-roll monster playing with Deron Williams. The team made a conference finals run in 2007 before losing to the Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol-led Lakers in two consecutive years. They shouldn't bring his son back for the nostalgia, but to give Jackson a much-needed hand on the boards. And if the Keyonte George-Boozer pick-and-rolls evoke some memories, then so be it. Boozer Sr. played with Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur upfront; the projected Lauri Markkanen-Boozer-Jackson frontline has just as much length and skill, although Kirilenko was a defensive force Markkanen hasn't developed into yet.
Jackson can also space the floor for Boozer to operate inside. Last year, across games with the Grizzlies and Jazz, Jackson compiled a respectable three-point percentage of 35.7. Even with a low release point, he always seems to get it off. Jackson also averaged 2.5 stocks, and his 1.4 blocks per game last year were actually a full 0.5 under his career average. When he's healthy and roaming the paint, he's one of the most unstoppable forces on that side of the ball and a true two-way player.
If AJ Dybantsa is going first overall to the Wizards, it'll be a choice between Darryn Peterson and Boozer at 2. And the former Blue Devil might be an underrated fit.
