Duke star Cameron Boozer wants to be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Duke superstar Cameron Boozer believes he should be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
He told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports the following: "There are a lot of great candidates, for sure. Some of them are here. But what I think separates me is my competitiveness and my winning. It’s my willingness to do whatever it takes to win."
Boozer was the best player in college basketball this season, which is why he won the Player of the Year Award. The swingman averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
Former Duke star Cooper Flagg was the first pick in the 2025 draft. Boozer could be the first pick in this year's draft. We have to wait until the 2026 draft lottery to see who has the first pick.
Wherever Boozer lands, he will likely flourish. After all, he's the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
"It’s about being versatile," Cameron said. "Because of my size, I can do a lot of things on the court. I can handle. I can pass. I can post up. I can guard one through five. I think the versatility is the biggest thing.”
Cameron, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Caleb Wilson will be the first pick in this year's NBA Draft. As expected, Carlos expects his son to flourish in the NBA.
“There are not that many guys that can be an 18-year-old on the biggest stage in college basketball like Duke basketball — [and] with what comes with that — and the entire team will follow him,” Carlos Boozer told Andscape. “You know why they do that with Cameron? Because he gives so much to the game. He gives so much to his team. Whatever it takes, he’s an unselfish superstar, and that translates to the NBA.
“You look at what Tim Duncan did. I’m not comparing Cameron to Tim Duncan, but he was another guy that wasn’t [athletically] a Kevin Garnett or a Tracy McGrady or a Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal. But you know what he did? He won five championships in that era [against] those players — the Kobes and the Shaqs, because of his IQ, because of his skill set, and because his team would follow him.
“That is who Cameron is. He’s a modern-day version of that. People are going to follow him because of what he gives to the team and what he gives to the game. That translates into winning. So. if you want to win, you pick Cameron. And I’m going to tell you this: The GMs that don’t pick Cam, they’re going to regret that 15 years from now.”
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