Former Duke Star Leads Way in Early NBA Rookie Rankings

Basketball season is officially upon us both at the NBA and the college levels as the calendar is set to turn to November. While the Duke Blue Devils will open up on Monday by hosting Army and there are a lot of expectations once again for this team, a former Blue Devils standout is already impressing at the next level. 

Cameron Boozer was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, going to Memphis as the center of their rebuild. Boozer went after AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson but had a standout Summer League and preseason. Now, as the regular season is underway, Boozer is already making a big impact as well. 

Boozer has led the Grizzlies to a 4-0 record in the first four games of the season and he's playing well. With that, he's also leading the way in the rookie ladder. 

NBA.com's Jeff Zillgitt released his first Kia Rookie Ladder of the season, and Boozer has claimed the top spot. Boozer is No. 1 in the rankings early on, averaging 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game early on this season. 

Boozer beat out No. 2 Yaxel Lendeborg, who is off to a really hot start for Golden State and No. 3 Caleb Wilson, who is off to a good start with the Chicago Bulls. Boozer matched p against both of those players in college. 

Following those three in the rankings are: Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, Darryn Peterson, Aday Mara, Trevon Brazile, Brayden Burries, and Mikel Brown Jr., to wrap up the top 10 in the rankings. 

In Zillgitt's rankings, he points out that Boozer became the third-youngest player in NBA history to register at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists when he had 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in a victory against Golden State. The other two? LeBron James and Cooper Flagg, which is some pretty good company early on in his career.

For Boozer, this is a good sign. It's still early in the season and these rankings are going to change but getting this national attention is certainly a good thing. Now, it's on him to elevate his play and hold the ranking throughout the season. With this being such a good rookie class, there will be a big push from others which will keep the pressure on Boozer to perform all season long.