Cameron Boozer is putting together one of the finest freshman seasons in recent memory with the Duke Blue Devils, joining the long list of potential lottery picks produced by the school. Boozer has played an instrumental role in Duke's 15-1 record this season, wrapping up the ACC regular season title on Saturday with a 77-51 win over the Virginia Cavaliers.
Boozer's Blue Devils are heading into March Madness among the favorites to win it all this season. The school found itself in a similar position last season while being led by another freshman sensation, Cooper Flagg.
While Flagg went No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks after averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season, Boozer has improved on those impressive numbers with averages of 22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. As a result, Boozer is slated to be among the first few picks called on at the 2026 NBA Draft in June.
The Athletic's latest mock draft by Sam Vecenie has Boozer going No. 3 overall to the Atlanta Hawks, who own the New Orleans Pelicans' 2026 first-round draft pick.
"For me, Boozer is the safest bet in the class to become a remarkably productive player... What teams wonder is whether he profiles as more of a No. 1 option or as a great No. 2 guy like Kevin Love. His game has a lot of power-based elements to it, and that is somewhat concerning for teams given that he’s listed at 6-9 and might not measure that tall without shoes on. Can he consistently separate and draw help defenders in the NBA, where everyone is bigger, stronger and faster, in the same way he did in high school and has in college?"
"He can post on the interior. He can spot up and attack closeouts or knock down shots from distance, as he’s made 40 percent of his 3.7 3-point attempts per game. You can run him as a screener and roller in ball screens, where he can get to the rim, short-roll into the middle or pick-and-pop effectively. Or, you can run him as a ballhandler in ball screens and let him make plays out of inverted actions. From a skill perspective, because of his balance and ability to dribble, pass and shoot, there is a lot to believe in."
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Despite Boozer seemingly improving on the Duke No. 1 pick that preceded him, it seems it'll take a magical March Madness run to improve his positioning on the draft boards. He trails BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson, respectively.
Dybantsa is averaging 24.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in a similarly impressive freshman season, while Peterson is averaging 19.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Jayhawks. Peterson has fallen to No. 2 after being the projected top pick for most of the season after mounting character concerns around his reluctance to play full college games.
Unless Boozer leads Duke to a national championship, it's hard to see him overtaking either of those prospects. Similarly, if Peterson or Dybantsa flame out in the tournament, Boozer could stand to gain.
The Hawks would add Boozer to their frontcourt behind Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. Boozer could play across three positions, so he might be a solution to the team's final frontcourt position, currently belonging to the underperforming Zaccharie Risascher.
However, Jonathan Kuminga's recent success after joining the team creates a crowded frontcourt where Boozer will have to fight to earn minutes. If his talents match the hype in the NBA, he'll earn a rotational spot in no time. But first, he has to focus on bringing the school its first championship since 2015.