2026 NBA Draft: Cameron Boozer Scouting Report
Evaluating the Duke prospect and potential No. 1 pick ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft.
DRAFT EVALUATION: Top 1-3 (Tier 1)
LAST BIG BOARD: No. 3
NBA ROLE: Frontcourt hub
REMINDS ME OF: Alperen Şengün
RAW STATS: 23 PTS, 9.9 REB, 3.8 AST to 1.3 TOV, 1.7 STL, 1.0 BLK, 1.9 PF in 30.2 MINS over 10 GAMES
ADVANCED STATS: 20.1 BPM, 30.5 USG%, 65.3 TS%, 12.5 OREB%, 21.3 DREB%, 2.9 A/TO, 26.4 AST%, 8.1 TOV%, 3.2 STL”%, 3.8 BLK%
Height: 6-9
Wingspan: 7-0
Weight: 250 lbs
Draft day age: 18.11 y/o
Birthday: July 18, 2007
Evaluation:
Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is a do-it-all frontcourt juggernaut who operates with otherworldly efficiency while making very few mistakes and crushing just about every advanced stat.
He has an extensive track record of winning basketball in high school & AAU while also being one of the youngest players in the 2026 NBA Draft, only turning 19 on July 18.
Boozer is a firm contender to go No. 1 the draft — and he should never fall out of the top 3.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player understand his limitations and accentuate his strengths as wisely as Boozer. That’s saying something given his youth and how this is probably the “worst” he will ever be as an adult.
Boozer dominates the paint using his strength, controls the glass on both ends, and makes others better with how he leverages his on-ball gravity and nonstop production.
Overall, he really has very few flaws and should be considered an incredibly safe prospect to have a long, super fruitful NBA career as a multi-time All-Star.
My remaining questions largely concern Boozer’s advantage creation process on offense and his defensive production for a big.
Boozer is a shrewd and crafty playmaker with real soft touch, but he can be slightly one-dimensional wanting to bury his shoulder into the defender to score, pass, or get fouled. When that fails or gets taken away, I’m unsure about his counters — although I’ll note that he generally does not panic in these situations.
I consider Boozer’s flexibility, ground coverage, and twitch a tier below Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa’s. This can appear on both ends with Boozer’s somewhat stiff, pretty upright wiggle and middling vertical pop.
Defensively, Boozer is typically smart and mistake-averse. His robust frame is tough to move and he has quick, active hands to counteract his lack of pure bounce.
The Duke forward’s mobility is just fine, as Boozer’s footspeed isn’t the absolute quickest but he keeps his man in front, positions himself well and is hard to get around. I don’t know that college teams have tested him in space that much yet, but I don’t have notable concerns to mention.
Still, Boozer’s defensive radius — sideways and upwards — is limited by some of his average physical tools, and I haven’t been overly impressed by his rim protection so far.
Thinking about what we’ve seen so far this season and Boozer’s previous EYBL tape with the NightRydas Elite squad alongside Caleb Wilson, I’m starting to grow convinced that Boozer needs a rim protector (note: not necessarily a center, but another frontcourt partner) to be at his absolute best.
In the NBA, all of this is relative to how great of a prospect Boozer is — but what if he has to be a 4 on defense who needs a versatile 5 to a significant extent — yet he’s the one guarded by 5s on offense and he struggles when his relatively more limited on-ball polish meets greater size+length & more equivalent strength?
Background:
Father is Carlos Boozer, former 2001 national champion at Duke, two-time NBA All-Star and 13-year NBA vet.
During the 2002 NBA Draft combine, Carlos measured in at 6-foot-7¾ without shoes to go alongside a 7-foot-2¼ wingspan and a 9-foot-0½ standing reach at 258 pounds.
Mother is CeCe Blackwell, former D-I volleyball player at North Carolina State. She is 5-foot-10.
Carlos and CeCe divorced in 2014/15 but still co-parent.
Brothers are Cayden - twin who now plays for Duke as a point guard - and Carmani.
Carmani was diagnosed with sickle cell disease before he was born. The Boozer twins were conceived via IVF to ensure they were free of sickle cell disease and were bone marrow transplant matches for their brother. He now plays baseball at the University of Fort Lauderdale.
Played AAU ball for Nightrydas Elite.
Won three straight Peach Jam titles at the 15U, 16U, and 17U levels. First team to win consecutively like that.
EYBL 2022: 22.5 PTS, 12.2 REB, 4.2 AST
EYBL 2023: 24.9 PTS, 13.2 REB, 3.8 AST
EYBL 2024: 24.5 PTS, 13.4 REB, 3.3 AST
Won four straight high school titles for Christopher Columbus HS in Florida. Already had his high school jersey retired.
Averaged 21.2 PTS, 11.4 REB, and 3.5 AST through his HS career while shooting 62.4 FG% / 42.6 3P% / 82.5 FT%.
HS Freshman: 18.9 PTS, 10.9 REB, 4.0 AST, 2.2 BLK
HS Sophomore: 21.1 PTS, 11.3 REB. 4.2 AST, 2 BLK
HS Junior: 22.2 PTS, 11.4 REB, 2.7 AST, 2.1 BLK
HS Senior: 22.6 PTS, 12 REB, 3.2 AST, 2 STL
Had 100 double-doubles in 120 high school games, per MaxPreps.
Won two gold medals with Team USA at 2023 FIBA U16 Americas and 2024 U17 World Cup gold. Also named MVP of both tournaments.
Born in Miami, Florida. Used to play baseball and American football.
Started playing basketball when he was 3 y/o.
Reportedly very much into studying film.
Pros:
Increasingly comfortable and dangerous from three…
37.2 3P% (16/43) while taking 8.2 threes per 100 possessions…
Pulling up out of 4-5 pick-and-rolls with Pat Ngongba.
Taking movement corner threes on ATOs/BOBs without hesitation.
Consistently upward trajectory as a three-point shooter since establishing himself as a HS freshman.
Free throw numbers have long been a great indicator.
77.1 FT% (54/70) so far this season…
Elite functional strength allows him to bully defenders in the post and out of face-ups. Super physical…
Quick and assertive when he faces up. Almost always plays out of two dribbles.
Same for his post-ups generally, but I think he’s more likely to get face-ups in the NBA.
Plays with contact, particularly using his elbows, shoulders, and off-arm to create space or force the foul.
Has to be mindful with how he kind of juts out his elbows. Probably gets away with some offensive fouls, although that’s also a testament to his game.
Pairs bruiser body with tidy footwork. Likes to spin. Not very flexible or twitchy, but understands his limitations and works around them to get to his spots.
Uses the glass smartly on his finishes. Capable with both hands.
Billed 250 pounds at Duke. That’s NBA center weight. Will be a mismatch against most 4s and especially 3s even if he’s not that tall.
Controls the glass as a rebounder on both ends…
12.5 OREB% and 21.3 DREB% is reflective of his impact on the floor.
Uses massive frame, strength advantage, and magnet hands to corral rebounds.
Even when he misses at the basket, he can get his own offensive rebound and go back up.
Extends possessions for his team with his motor on the glass. Highly valuable in today’s NBA.
Defensive rebounding can segue immediately into awesome outlet passes. This has shown up at every level.
Elite positional playmaking. Rarely makes bad decisions as a passer…
3.8 AST to 1.3 TOV per game so far. 2.9 A/TO on 30.5 USG% is amazing for a forward.
Really like him as a short roller. Bodes well for if he’s a 4 who has to play with a 5, but either way can activate cutters or three-point shooters in those situations.
Very composed dealing with double teams (or even more defenders). Takes the pressure and either generates the open shot or forces the defense into rotation.
Will he get these doubles in the NBA? I think he still will, but probably less. Curious to see what will happen if teams guard him with 7-foot bigs.
Can see over the top of the defense. Accurate with his skip passes from the block, but also with his outlets & hit-aheads or his hi-lo reads.
Can act as a frontcourt hub. Able to simplify game into (D)HOs, but can also direct traffic.
Can trust him with the ball in his hands in big moments. Wouldn’t be surprised if he played plenty of possessions as the “point guard” throughout his career. Already seen this some at Duke.
Absurd consistency. Virtually unstoppable in his basketball life until now…
Remarkable production and winning at every level so far. There have always been somewhat similar questions about his game, but they haven’t really ever fazed him.
Feels like he’s a decent bet to keep averaging something like 23p/13r/3a and 2 stocks on ~30 USG% and very good efficiency, but I wonder if he can get his scoring closer to the 30s and his assists towards 5 or 6 in the NBA.
Outstanding statistical profile. Worth highlighting again because it is outlier-great. Stat queries will have him showing up next to guards and ballhandlers.
Almost faultless except for his rim protection metrics. I’m still watching his finishing vs. top competition, too.
Defensively, trustworthy in space…
Moves feet. Keeps ballhandlers in front. Hasn’t been tested too much, but has held up just fine when switched onto guards.
3.2 STL% is very solid, especially if he’s going to spend minutes at the 4 and perhaps even the 3. Shows that he can create defensive plays away from the basket.
Drivers cannot move him physically and he’s still relatively big, so they really need work pretty hard to take him on.
Might end up feeling like there are better defensive match-ups to exploit.
Cons:
Historically does not add true rim protection…
3.8 BLK% is lackluster if he is to play as a big. Duke players don’t get a ton of blocks contextually, but would still expect more.
Drops to 1.2 BLK% vs. top 50 quality games.
10 blocks in 10 games (302 minutes) so far.
For context: Cooper Flagg had a 4.9 BLK%, Khaman Maluach had a 6.8 BLK%, Pat Ngongba has a 7.6 BLK% so far this season and had a 5.6 BLK% in limited frosh minutes.
Lack of quick twitch and lift shows up around the rim - and even in his contests.
Smart when he helps, but has to be positioned really well to get the block or he might not get there.
Won’t have issues in the post based on his strength, but I wonder just how much he’ll ultimately bother bigs (or maybe even huge wings) who can just offset that by shooting over him.
Doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Can just be whether his standing reach is enough to affect a hook shot, for instance.
Defensive frontcourt versatility…
How much can he play the 5? I have no doubts he’ll get minutes there, but is that the best look for him on defense? For his team?
Even if thinking about him just as a frontcourt player, needs a versatile partner who can play inside-out on offense and protect the rim on defense.
EYBL context alongside Caleb Wilson for the Nightrydas seems optimal.
Current college context alongside Ngongba is beneficial, as well.
Holds down the paint with his rebounding much more than with his rim protection, but someone needs to add that then.
Average twitch and bend for a primary, especially on-ball…
Can be too reliant on bully-ball. What happens when he can’t create the initial advantage if thrusting his shoulder into the defender doesn’t work?
If teams feel like they can put their 5 on Boozer and his own accompanying 5 isn’t a significant enough offensive threat to matter against his respective mismatch, I think that can be problematic to some extent.
Shooting versatility…
Lack of midrange scoring (1/2 for the season), but does he need it? One could argue he’s great at the best shots — at the rim and from three.
Doesn’t have a super quick release. Needs time to load into his shot.
Super small sample size, but worth noting the difference with his unguarded vs. guarded catch-and-shoot threes. Will probably always take more of the former, anyway.
UNGUARDED: 40 3P% (10/25)
GUARDED: 28.6 3P% (2/7)