Cam Boozer, Duke
The Skinny: Stoking the fire of the NBA’s father-son pipeline, Boozer became the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists since Larry Bird in 1976-77. Beyond his individual statistical absurdities, Boozer was the engine of the fourth best offense in the country. Despite losing in painstaking fashion in the Elite Eight, he is destined to hit the ground running as a pro.
Strengths: The youngest of the class’s top prospects – turns 19 in July. An all-inclusive offensive stud with inside-outside sway. Bundles together ball skills, finishing craft, an advanced floor game, and brute strength in a 6’9″, 250-pound frame. Knock-down shooter from beyond the arc who drained 39 percent from every segment. Low-post technician with an expansive scoring repertoire and cunning angularity. Adept putting the ball on the deck, including inverted pick and rolls. Compact ball handler on downhill drives – keeps the ball close and uses his shoulder and breadth to his advantage. Unfazed when met with multiple defenders in a crowded lane. An incessant screener with sharp short-roll decision making. Fantastic vision and passing delivery above the nail, finding a baseline cutter or wheeling big. Equipped with the playmaking feel and executive precision to run the offense for extended stretches. Exhibits prime positioning and anticipation on the boards. Vice grip hands when hauling down rebounds. Habitually boxes out and magnetizes the rock with both hands for security. A steady backstop behind the play and spatially savvy as a low-man defensively. Plays two masterfully on the back-side with pre-positioning and timely recovery. Exemplary shot contests around the basket – maintaining his vertical plane and eschewing handsiness. Puts his 7’2″ wingspan to bothersome use. Stays planted to the ground and avoids getting airborne without cause.
Weaknesses: Profiles as a higher-floor, lower-ceiling prospect in comparison to his counterparts at the top of the draft board. Predominantly ground-bound as an under-the-rim scorer. A substandard athlete in terms of lateral quickness and vertical pop in an NBA context. Rim finishing leaves a bit to be desired for a player of his archetype (68.5 percent). Lacks a true in-between game – only attempted 21 mid-range jumpers outside of 10 feet as a freshman with a 33.3 percent hit rate, per Hoop Explorer. Vulnerable to mishandles and periodically dribbles into trouble. Does not possess the verticality to anchor a defense or wall-off the rim with any consistency. Decent footspeed for his size when guarding beyond the 3-point line, though will face an uphill battle switching stance and backpedaling against NBA perimeter foes. Struggles to flip his hips. Overmatched by true centers down low.
Best fit: Memphis Grizzles
Depending on the direction Memphis goes with Ja Morant, the Grizzlies have positional needs at almost every position. Boozer knows the weight of wearing a bull’s-eye at the college level and can score, pass, defend and rebound.
