Duke's Cameron Boozer Expected to Run Offense for Memphis Grizzlies as Rookies

Some players in the NBA, rookies specifically, have a great opportunity to come in and make a major impact. 

Some players, however, won't be the top options on their team, which raises questions about what their numbers might look like. Regarding former Duke star Cameron Boozer, there's reason to believe that he's going to find himself in just as good of a position as any rookie you've seen in quite some time. 

Boozer, who averaged 22.5 points last year for the Blue Devils, is expected to have a major impact for the Grizzlies. In fact, one NBA writer went so far as to say Boozer will run the majority of Memphis' offense.

“The easy answer is Cam Boozer. The Grizzlies will likely run the majority of their offense through him, where he’ll showcase his three-level scoring, high-level playmaking, and impeccable blend of strength and cognition. He’s going to have a profound impact on the glass alongside Zach Edey and Cedric Coward. The defense will be an area of improvement to monitor, but his processing leads to deflections and steals,” Parker Fleming wrote.

As the Memphis Grizzlies look to improve on both sides of the basketball this year, especially after moving on from Ja Morant and making some other changes, there's reason to believe that Boozer really can be that option. 

At the same time, he's still a rookie, and we need to recognize that. I don't want to put crazy expectations on him even if I believe that he's going to be this good, as times have changed.

Competing at the highest level in college is one thing, but doing it in the NBA is another. Boozer has all the offensive tools to come in and make an immediate impact, but again, we've seen many rookies in the past struggle in similar roles.

Memphis has more talent than it is getting credit for, to me, so I think he can fit in with what it wants to do and he'll be fine. There are other aspects that need to be figured out, but he should be in a good spot.