Cameron Boozer continues to be one of the more polarizing players in the 2026 NBA Draft. It's crazy to say that a player projected to go top three at worst is polarizing, but when we break down the numbers and play from Boozer throughout the year, most would assume that he should be the No. 1 pick in this class.
Unfortunately for the young star and son of a former NBA player, Boozer is dealing with AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. Both are viewed as generational-type players and seemingly are getting the benefit of the doubt over Boozer. That was the case once again in Jeremy Woo’s rankings, which had him third on his big board.
“Boozer carried Duke within one chaotic sequence of a Final Four berth, bringing a close to his dominant season. He didn't leave much else on the table, leading college basketball with a 17.1 box plus-minus score, shooting 39.1% from 3, and backing up his reputation as a big-time winner, also winning the Naismith and AP Player of the Year awards. There remains debate in NBA circles as to where his development ultimately tops out relative to the other options atop the draft, but there's little doubt that Boozer will continue finding ways to produce at a high level and help raise a team's floor.
"It's hard to argue with Boozer's body of work, impeccable offensive feel and productivity, which have drawn comparisons from scouts to players such as Domantas Sabonis and Kevin Love. While he's not quick or vertically gifted, and there's some concern he might get exploited defensively in certain situations, there's plenty of reason to love the things he does well,” he wrote.
As mentioned above, it's nearly impossible to discredit anything that Boozer did during his time at Duke. He won at a high level, made big plays in big moments, continued to improve day in and day out, and put up all the numbers that a potential No. 1 pick would.
Scouts have been very high on Peterson and Dybantsa for a long time. Even dating back to high school, it felt like Boozer didn't get as much attention as those two. Not that high school basketball means everything when projecting to the NBA, but teams might feel more comfortable selecting one of them over Boozer with a top pick right now.