I continue to question how teams around the NBA view Duke star Cameron Boozer.
On the one hand, Boozer was definitely the best college basketball player in the country a year ago, and it wasn't really close. On the flip side, I understand some of the concerns about his game transitioning to the highest level.
The young man definitely has to find himself in a good position at the highest level, which specifically means he needs to be put on a team that fits what he's looking to do.
I don't necessarily love the idea of him playing with the Indiana Pacers, but some are starting to believe that the Pacers have a lot of interest in him, and he was recently predicted to land in Indiana in the latest mock draft from Yahoo Sports.
“At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Boozer is the most polished player in the class. He scores from the post with both footwork and power, hits 40% of his 3s on high volume, and has enough handle to run offense as a point forward. He shifts between those modes based on what the defense gives him, and that adaptability led to a 35-win season at Duke and the Naismith Player of the Year. That’s why he would be so appealing to the Pacers. He could play with Ivica Zubac and Pascal Siakam, or with just one of them by sliding to center in certain lineups. The worry is that he’s not a vertical athlete and the foundation of all that production — overpowering smaller defenders — gets diminished against NBA length. Plus, he’s a modern tweener on defense, lacking the explosiveness and size to protect the rim full-time and the lateral quickness to switch onto guards.
"But Rick Carlisle is a tremendous coach — both at building winning systems, and tanking teams too — so Boozer would be in good hands with him at coach, and Tyrese Haliburton at point guard. With the bloodline of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer, the team that drafts him is betting that skill, adaptability, and a track record of winning at every level all lead to superstardom,” Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo wrote.
There's definitely something to be said about what the Pacers have done development-wise over the past few years.
Remember now, this was a team that had a chance to win a championship just a year ago before Tyrese Haliburton went down against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 during the NBA Finals.
He could become one of the better players in the NBA if he comes in and does what many believe he can.