Former Duke star Cameron Boozer was ranked in the top-100 of NBA players coming into the season.
Forward Cameron Boozer was one of the better players for the Duke Blue Devils over the last few seasons, helping the program see a ton of success last year.
Boozer helped lead the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight, going 35-3 overall and 17-1 in ACC Conference play. In his lone season at Duke, Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
From the opening jump of his college career, Boozer looked like he belonged, leading to more thoughts about the NBA. Boozer became the first underclassman to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in a season since 1976-77, when Larry Bird accomplished this feat.
The Memphis Grizzlies took Boozer with the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, showing his upside. Memphis has needed a new franchise star for some time now, and Boozer has all the tools to be just that for the franchise.
Heading into the season, Boozer has already made the cut on the top-100 NBA players ranking from ESPN. The new Grizzlies star was ranked No. 85 on the list, showing the type of upside that Boozer has entering his rookie year.
"The 19-year-old Boozer enters his rookie season as perhaps the most NBA-ready prospect in his class because of his strong physique, excellent feel and winning history. During his freshman season at Duke, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while leading the nation in win shares. After the Grizzlies traded Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., Boozer should have the chance to emerge as the team's lead scoring option in the first year of a long-term rebuild," ESPN's Ben Golliver wrote.
Playing for the Grizzlies, Boozer should have plenty of chances to dominant early in his rookie season. Memphis isn't seen as a potential playoff team this season, giving Boozer a chance to slowly learn the NBA game, without much pressure to thrive right away.
While the Grizzlies would like to see some development from their young players this year, if Memphis were to be competitive, the franchise would be happy. Boozer has the talent to become the new leader of this group, offering the organization a new era of basketball in Memphis.
It remains to be seen how his game will translate to the NBA level, but the scouts believe he will be just fine. Memphis now has some direction for the first time in a long time, and Boozer is at the center of it all.
