Cameron Boozer, the Tim Duncan of the 2026 NBA Draft
A first-look Analysis at Cameron Boozer, arguably the most accomplished high school player ever.
When evaluating draft prospects, I often spend too much time analyzing player comparisons and projected outcomes. Truthfully, perfect comparisons never exist, and indulging in the exercise is probably a waste of time.
Nevertheless, if I fall into the trap every time I watch a prospect. I think, who does this guy move like? Who does he remind me of? What will be his NBA Archetype?
I did this while watching Cameron Boozer look like a man amongst boys on every possession in his final season at Columbus High School.
But naturally, it was hard to find a player who possessed his size and strength, inside-out scoring ability, defensive versatility, and feel for the game, especially at 18.
After watching exactly 688 possessions of Boozer, I gave up.
I thought, “Let Boozer be his unique player, independent of any comparison”, but naturally, my brain didn’t let me stop there.
I started to think about a comparison more holsitically. Boozer didn’t particularly remind me of any player, but after some time, a player came to mind.
Not because of how he moves, scores, or defends, but because of how he won and carried that winning.
That player is Tim Duncan.
Before you type that comment, no, I am not saying he’ll have a Hall of Fame career or win five championships.
Boozer reminds me of Duncan because of their calm and even-keeled demeanors, picture-perfect fundamentals and impact on winning.
Neither wins with outlier athleticism nor size, but uses quick decision-making, soft touch, and high feel to slice through defenses.
Duncan is probably one of the most underappreciated and under-discussed superstars in NBA history, despite having one of the greatest resumes ever.
There’s a fatigue that comes with greatness, and that’s what I think Boozer is dealing with right now.
He’s been (in my estimation) the best prospect in the world since he was 15 and burst on the scene for Nightrydas Elite. Since then, he’s done nothing but improve his game and add to his resume.
Four state championships, three EYBL Peach Jam championships, three-time Florida Mr. Basketball, two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, two-time gold medalist, and a national championship in 2025.
Boozer was ranked as the #1 player in his class and all of high school, ahead of Cooper Flagg (before he moved into the 2024 class), Aj Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson, until the fall of 2023, when Dybantsa overtook him.
Despite his years of dominance, he seems to have been overshadowed by other prospects' late emergence. The consensus suggests he’s been overtaken, but I feel others have just reached his level.
I think Dybantsa and Peterson are worthy #1 pick candidates ( words on those two coming very soon), but my preseason pick is Boozer, arguably the most accomplished high school player ever.
Damn, does he have any flaws?
As I was lying in my bed watching possession after possession and looking over his stats, I began to ask myself, What’s the catch?”
There must be some hole in his game or a deficiency that I’m overlooking.
I couldn’t find much of anything. Boozer’s profile is near flawless.
In his final season, he averaged 22 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 66.2 percent true shooting. Boozer also boasted a 1.43 AST/TO ratio, added 2.9 stocks, shot nearly 80 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from three.
Boozer is the epitome of a modern NBA forward with his intersection of ball-handling, driving, passing, and shooting.
But outside of what we can see on a box score or in the record books, I’m confident that Boozer will reach star outcomes because of his role malleability.
Roshan Potluri, one of the best young minds in basketball, first introduced me to this idea in his March 2024 article.
The basic idea is that playing multiple roles on offense allows players to master skills that can help them maximize their output in more complex roles—like being the engine of an NBA offense.
Boozer accomplished this by diversifying his game throughout high school. He started as a more perimeter-oriented forward, scoring mostly off cuts, spot-ups, and offensive rebounds.
During his sophomore season, he transitioned into more of a ballhandler and was, at times, Columbus's de facto point guard. Then, as he got bigger and stronger, he became more of a post scorer and became one of the country's best interior scorers.
As a post scorer during his junior and senior seasons, Boozer logged 1.119 points per possession (79th percentile) and 1.250 points per possession (94th percentile).
In his post-scoring film, it’s easy to see how this part of his game will translate (maybe not so much at Duke) as he works to take advantage of mismatches on smaller guards and wings. Boozer is an excellent sealer, has an array of moves, and pristine footwork.
Boozer’s time as a primary ball handler has helped his handling and ability as a driver. His handle isn’t super dynamic, and he doesn’t have a bag of counters at this point, but he has a very functional handle, a low center of gravity, and uses his strength to carve out driving angles despite a lack of a top-end first step.
As a senior, he was a dominant driver (60.6 TS% +1.029 PPP) who could not be kept off the free-throw line (27.5 shooting foul percentage). Boozer also has incredible touch, body control, and coordination, which aid him when scoring in traffic or when he can’t get to the rim.
It feels almost unfair that, besides his ability to dominate the paint, Boozer genuinely projects to be a great shooter. He may need to increase his volume a bit (0.32 3PAR in senior season), but his other indicators (40% from three, 79.6% from the FT line in 2024-2025) build a strong shooting profile from the mid-range and behind the arc and help him as a driver.
He gets most of his three-point looks as a popper or in spot-up, but he has had flashes of creating threes as the pick-and-roll ball handler, punishing defenders for going under screens.
The final part of Boozer’s offensive game is his passing. Boozer processes the floor tremendously well, and as my guy Abdel points out, he’s one of the best outlet passers in the country.
He possesses a Kevin Love-esque (one of my broader comps for him) ability to see the floor in transition and rifle passes down the court. Because of his size and stature, he can see over defenses and find teammates at a standstill.
Ancillary parts of Boozer’s game, like offensive rebounding and the aforementioned transition passing, will make him an analytical darling and raise his floor.
I know I said it was hard for me to find holes in Boozer’s game, and it is, but no prospect is perfect, and there are definite ways that he can improve to stake his claim as the best prospect in the class.
Defensive Projection
While Boozer is a clear plus on defense, I think his long-term value will come more from versatility and feel than any elite physical tools.
He’s at his best defending 3s and 4s, where he can use his strength, base, and technique to wall off drives and stay attached through physicality. But things may get trickier when asked to guard quicker guards or legit bigs. Boozer doesn’t have the elite foot speed to consistently contain smaller, shiftier guards at the point of attack, nor does he have the vertical pop or length to protect the rim like a true 5. He can also improve when closing out, as he sometimes bites on fakes or hesitations.
This in-between defensive profile could make certain matchups challenging at the next level. His motor and awareness help mitigate this (held opponents to 36% on drives), but he will likely work best next to a proper anchor.
Still, his tools—strong frame, lateral mobility, quick processing—give him a wide range of functional outcomes defensively. He likely won't anchor a defense, but he doesn’t need to. In the right scheme, with a mobile rim protector next to him, Boozer could become a key cog in a highly effective defensive unit(which I expect at Duke)—especially if he continues to sharpen his timing and anticipation in help.
Reaching his ceiling
There’s a very high threshold to being a primary in the NBA, and while I do think Boozer has as good a chance as any prospect, there are a few things that I believe can hold him back.
For starters, Boozer is more of a below-the-rim finisher. He has a good, not great, vertical leap and is not the most explosive athlete, which I think could hurt him when facing similar size and athleticism.
Boozer also has a sub-elite first step and burst, preventing him from creating the cleanest advantages (especially against similar athletes). The star forward often leans into his strength and size to bulldoze his way to the rim, so I am curious to see how he plays against longer and more athletic defenders.
It was rare for him to see defenders who could match his strength and speed, but a few NBA guys have had some good reps that forced him into tougher shots (some propaganda in here for Queen fans).
Improving as a shot creator will also help Boozer reach his ceiling in the NBA. As seen in the clips below, Boozer has flashes of off-the-dribble shotmaking, and I expect it to become a more featured part of his game moving forward.
He looks comfortable taking jumpers in the mid-range as a counter. His footwork and release point are pristine, but the efficiency needs to improve (34% on dribble 2’s as a junior and senior).
Another area where Boozer can make real strides is as a live dribble passer. While he's already a sharp processor and makes quick, accurate reads in set actions or out of the post, he isn’t yet consistently manipulating defenses with his eyes or delivering advanced reads while on the move.
At the NBA level, especially if he’s going to operate in a primary or high-usage secondary role, he’ll need to become more adept at making passes on the go—threading bounce passes out of pick-and-rolls, hitting weakside shooters with skips, and cleaning up his accuracy and ability to defend doubles and blitzes.
He’s shown flashes—especially when operating in middle pick-and-rolls or short-roll scenarios—but continuing to tighten his handle and pressure will open up the floor and help him maximize the advantages he does create.
Role Prediction and Closing Thoughts
At Duke, I project Boozer to be deployed similarly to how the Blue Devils used Cooper Flagg—versatile, fluid, and with responsibilities that touch nearly every part of the offensive scheme.
Expect Boozer to get a healthy dose of pick-and-roll ball handler reps, work out of spot-ups, and get the occasional post-up touch, especially when Duke wants to exploit size mismatches. I anticipate a slight difference from Flagg in Boozer’s use as a screener. His ability to roll hard to the rim and pop out for threes gives Duke a chance to weaponize his versatility in the two-man game far more often.
With Boozer on the floor, the Blue Devils will likely get out in transition as much as possible. His grab-and-go ability, elite outlet passing, and ability to fill lanes should help fuel one of the more dynamic fast breaks in college basketball.
Defensively, I expect Boozer to guard 3s and 4s while occasionally switching onto guards or protecting the interior in help situations. As mentioned earlier, he’ll benefit from playing next to a traditional rim protector—but Duke’s team defense will place him in situations where he can be overtly effective.
Ultimately, Boozer’s combination of skill, intelligence, and adaptability makes him a prime candidate for a high-usage but highly efficient role at the college level.
Boozer may not dominate with flash or freakish athleticism, but his game is quietly overwhelming. Like Duncan, his excellence can blend into the fabric of winning until you zoom out and realize he’s the reason things are working.
He’s been overshadowed lately in the eyes of some evaluators, but to me, he remains one of the most complete, NBA-ready prospects we’ve seen in years.