Cam Boozer has been on NBA draft radar for years, and it really isn't difficult to see why when you watch the film. He is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, and has been compared to him a lot as a player. It would be hard to deny the similarities (I mean they are literally father and son), but I think Boozer is growing into his own as a player. He had an absolutely phenomenal season at Duke, putting up some of the best numbers we have ever seen a freshman average this century. Duke's season certainly didn't end the way they wanted it to, but that wasn't at Boozer's fault. He was clearly the best player and driving force behind the success they did have this season, and I think a lot of the things he did for Duke this year will translate to the NBA very smoothly.
The first thing that needs to be discussed is his passing. The only word I can really come up with to describe the way Boozer passes the ball is beautiful. When he is passing the ball to a teammate, it almost always ends up directly in their hands without them having to adjust. I watched a little bit of Duke's game against North Carolina last month, and I think that in all of the film I saw, there was maybe only one or two passes that strayed off course. The accuracy he has, even when under pressure, is a thing of beauty. Because of how dangerous Boozer was as a scorer in college, he would run into double teams quite a bit, and the way he handled these situations and made the correct pass seemingly every time is incredible. He is also maybe the best outlet passer in all of college basketball. The ball never stays in his hands for very long after he gets a rebound. If it is a defensive board, the ball is usually either in the hands of one of Duke's ball handlers or halfway down the court within seconds. If it is an offensive board, the ball is usually in the hands of an open shooter on the perimeter before the defense even has a chance to think. Boozer's quick decision making and accuracy on his outlet passes is a really undervalued skill of his. Boozer also has a lot of talent running the offense and making passes as the initiator in a half court set. He is very good at initiating plays and making good reads in half court sets that most players at his position don't make very often. I wouldn't say he is on a Jokic/Sengun level where he can be THE primary initiator for a whole game, but when Duke needed him to make a good read, Boozer could do it.
Passing is only half of the value that Boozer holds on offense, and the other half comes from the way he scores the ball. Boozer has a lot of talent in different areas as scorer, the most obvious being what he provides in the post. Boozer is strong, physical, and crafty in the post. He does a great job of taking advantage of situations where he has physical strengths over the person who was given the misfortune of guarding him. He is even better when it comes to using his craft and skill in the post though, and this is where a lot his production both as a scorer and a passer come from. His footwork is a marvelous thing in the post, and he does a really good job of creating space using his body. I wouldn't say he is a stellar shooter from the mid-range, but he sure does love to get himself a good look in the post, and he tends to be able to connect on those shots. He also has fantastic touch in the paint when he gets to those spots, as shown by the film and his efficiency on two pointers (61.5%). I wasn't always a fan of Boozer stylistically, but the more I watch him the more I can really see this working in the NBA more than I had originally thought it would, especially going along with the skill that has maybe surprised me the most: his driving ability. Boozer isn't a crazy electric athlete, but he has a good handle and a pretty good first step on his drives. He drives to the rim with force and has the skill and touch to work through contact and get good looks at the rim. I think he has some sneaky potential here if he is able to refine these skills. It could pose a problem for NBA players. The three-point shooting is interesting. I think he is significantly better off the catch than he is at creating for himself as a long distance shooter, but he was decently efficient this season. I think his jumper is a tad bit slow and that could cause some issues for him in the NBA, but in general I would trust the shot to translate and for him to be a decent shooter at the next level. The majority of his offensive value will still come from what he does as a passer and in the post.
Another skill that Boozer has that really flies under the radar is his rebounding, specifically his offensive rebounding. It isn't really a secret to anyone that Boozer is a good rebounder, but I think the value he provides as one is getting underrated. He is really good at fighting against boxouts and through contact to get boards. He doesn't shy away from physicality, and his footwork gives him the advantage over a lot of other players at his position. This especially shows in his offensive rebounding. He was one of the best offensive rebounders in the country this past year because of those qualities I mentioned. This also goes hand in hand with that outlet passing I discussed earlier. I think it is reasonable to project Boozer being one of the better rebounders in the NBA at his peak if this development continues, even despite his height limitations compared to bigger centers he may face.
Defense is where some of the projection starts to get difficult for me. There were a lot of times where I was really impressed by what I saw, and a lot of other times where I was questioning his ability as a defender. I will give him credit where credit is due, he does put in a lot of effort on the defensive end. He does a good job at getting involved and playing good help defense when the time is right. He is physical in the post and does a pretty good job at getting a hand up in defenders face. One thing I was really impressed by was how he was able to hold his own against smaller, quicker players when matched up against them. He does a really good job at moving his feet and keeping his body in front of the ball handler, and when the ball handler does get past him, he does a pretty decent job at staying involved and keeping pressure from behind. This will save him from being a mismatch target, at least in some cases, for quicker guards and wings at the NBA level. I do have concerns with him as a defender. He has tendencies to overcommit, and essentially remove himself from the play because of that. I think this is fixable, but it is something that hurt him quite a bit in some of the film I watched. He also isn't a very strong rim protector, which makes it more difficult to project him playing a lot of minutes as a center. I think Boozer's role as a defender in the NBA is difficult to project, but I think the safest/best scenario is he remains a strong help defender (if he can get those overcommitment issues down) and somewhat holds his own defending one on one. I don't think he is going to be a liability, but I wouldn't say he is going to be particularly great either.
Boozer has been described as a tweener athletically, and that really does a good job of summing it up. He isn't a flashy athlete, but also doesn't quite have the size that your typical 7 foot center may have. I wouldn't really say he has one set position because of that, but also because his skillset could fit into a variety of different roles depending on how he is utilized. One thing I do like about his physicals (and I have already mentioned this a couple of times) is how hard he competes and how he doesn't shy away from contact. Boozer puts in a lot of effort and does his very best to compete despite small athletic limitations. He is strong and physical, and I think both of those things will carry on into the NBA.
It is pretty easy to project what Boozer can be in the NBA right away. He is a smart and skilled player. I think how he performs early on into his career depends on what team lands him because I can see him being utilized in different ways, but generally I think he will be a good and impactful player early on into his career. The real questions that people have had for him in terms of projection is how high is his ceiling. The consensus has generally seemed to agree that he has a higher floor but lower ceiling than Dybansta and Peterson, and I am really growing to dislike that sentiment. Boozer has the talent to be an incredible basketball player in the NBA. He has already shown that he is very good at a lot of the things that contribute to winning. His ceiling will be determined by if he is able to refine some of those skills while keeping up what he has already been doing. The more I think about it, the more I am starting to find myself believing that he can do that and tap into his potential. Boozer has the talent to be the best player in this draft class, and also generally seems to be a really safe bet to at least be an impactful starter/role player. I'm not going to try and make comparisons yet, but lets just say I think Boozer is a very special talent. Is he the #1 prospect? Well, to be honest, I don't know for sure yet. However, I do know that Boozer is one of the best prospects in this draft, and he has certainly made a very good case for claiming that title.