Duke freshman Cameron Boozer continues to climb draft boards, but doesn’t seem to be getting any higher than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. According to a new projection from HoopsHype, the Blue Devils star is expected to be selected third overall in the upcoming NBA Draft.
NBA evaluators view Boozer as one of the most NBA-ready players in the class, and with his level of consistency, it seems like it’d be tough to argue with.
“According to several scouts, Boozer has solidified himself as an NBA-ready big that’ll be a frontcourt starter on whichever team drafts him,” Cyro Asseo wrote. “Most sources said they have Boozer (with Peterson) ahead of AJ Dybantsa, because his elite feel for the game as both a post scorer and a connecting player is what teams look for in potential franchise cornerstones.”
At Duke, Boozer has been used as both a scoring option and an offensive playmaker, allowing Jon Scheyer’s offense to flow through him in multiple ways. He’s comfortable scoring underneath the basket, and when doubled, outside of his first college game, has shown that he can make the right pass to open teammates
In the NBA, he likely won’t get doubled as much, just given how much different the game is, but it’s still a very valuable skill. If he scores as well as he is right now in the NBA, he’ll see a ton of doubles.
Boozer has delivered several dominant performances this season, including his last two outings against Stanford, in which he posted 30 points and 14 rebounds, and a game against Wake Forest on Saturday, when he finished with 32 points and nine rebounds.
While Boozer has been just as good as any player in the country and probably deserves to win the Wooden Award, it’s also fair to suggest that he isn’t the first or second-best player in the country.
AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson have been incredible, and I don’t think it’s crazy to say that Peterson is one of the best college players we’ve ever seen if we’re going strictly off tape.