Cayden Boozer shouldn't live in his family's shadow
Cayden Boozer deserves to be recognized not just as Carlos Boozer’s son or Cameron Boozer’s brother, but as a standout player in his own right.
I imagine being the son of an NBA player comes with immense challenges.
It’s an experience you can’t fully grasp unless you live it. I don’t have that opportunity, but let’s theorize for a second.
Doors swing open for you, yet every step carries unfathomable expectations. Privilege and pressure intersect and you risk losing sight of your identity.
Now imagine if you weren’t just the son of an NBA player, but also the younger brother of a prodigy widely considered a potential No. 1 draft pick.
Somehow, you are under a magnifying glass while simultaneously living in two different shadows—your father’s legacy and your brother’s rise to stardom.
I don’t know if Cayden Boozer wrestles with this dilemma, but he’s usually described only in relation to others: first as “Carlos Boozer’s son” and then as a “Boozer twin.”
It’s unfair.
Both Cayden and Cameron have worked hard to build their own identities, independent of being an NBA player’s son or being a twin.
“I understand how we can get bunched in together,” Cayden said in an interview with Marc Spears. “But at the end of the day, we’re individuals. We have to do what is best for ourselves.”
Boozer’s parents know how challenging this situation can be for their kids. According to the article by Spears (read it; it’s a great piece), the Boozers made colleges recruit the twins separately because “they are two different people at two different positions.”
The twins ultimately chose to stick together and followed in their parents’ footsteps to play for Duke, where Cayden will have the chance to carve out his own path to the NBA.
I think he’ll do that, and surprise some people with how good he is.
Let’s dive into why.
Prioritizing Protecting Possessions
The most critical aspect to winning a basketball game is winning the possession battle. Ending possessions with a rebound or a steal takes away potential points from the opposing team and potentially creates opportunties for your team to score.
Subsequently, protecting a possession by not turning the ball over and creating opportunities for your teammates is incredibly valuable to an efficient offense.
This idea is increasingly evident in the modern NBA, and this summer, the two teams leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio duked it out for the Larry O’Brien.
Boozer is the Paradigm of this idea regarding the 2026 NBA draft class.
During his senior season, during which he helped Columbus win a national championship, he had a 2.68 AST/TO ratio—an outstanding number for a guard his age.
He’s a floor general who minimizes his mistakes by moving the ball quickly and taking what the defense gives him. He doesn’t always create advantages, but his superpower is court mapping. Boozer has an overt ability to get the ball to others where they’re already in an advantageous spot on the floor.
He finds his teammates while they’re open for a three, cutting or have a mismatch, and he’s an excellent transition passer who loves to push the break. Boozer is a conduit for efficient offense because of his sound decision-making and floor recognition.
Columbus had one of the best offenses in the country, and Boozer, as the captain, did an excellent job executing their relatively advanced sets for a high school program.
Everything he does is decisive and quick. There’s no wasted movement or overdribbling, and Boozer rarely takes an ill-advised shot. It’s not flashy, but how clean he plays is still aesthetically pleasing.
Off the ball, the guard is excellent at attacking close outs and hurting defenses as a passer and scorer. Boozer generated 1.051 points per drive during his senior season and shot 61% at the rim. You’ll notice he’s not a record-breaking athlete, but he’s strong, coordinated, and has good touch around the basket and from mid-range.
Boozer’s most significant area for growth is his three-point shot. He’s grown into a capable shooter, but can increase his volume and percentage. The guard shoots around three a game (19% three-point rate), making 34 percent of his looks from behind the arc.
Boozer's repeatable shooting mechanics and other indicators inspire optimism. He keeps a broad base, always has his body square to the basket and maintains his follow-through. Additionally, he shot over 80 percent from the free-throw line.
The rising freshman's feel for the game translates well on the defensive end, and it allows him to create extra possessions for his team, mostly in transition, which inherently leads to efficient offense.
Boozer has great anticipation and excellent hands. It’s like watching a wide receiver play cornerback and guessing his opponent’s routes. As a point guard, he can anticipate where a player wants to go with the ball or plug a hole for a teammate’s missed assignment. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and makes timely rotations.
For all of his playmaking brilliance and extra possession creation, there is a reason why Boozer is commonly mocked as a late-first to early second-round pick. While I disagree with that evaluation, people have raised some valid concerns.
Ceilings are overrated
The bulk of Boozer's concerns are out of his control. He doesn’t have elite foot speed, great burst, or vertical pop. I don’t think the lack of athleticism has necessarily hurt him too much yet. At 6-foot-4, he has good positional size and took 44% of his shots at the rim, but as shown earlier, they primarily come via play-finishing.
I think it’s fair to question how effective Boozer will look against better athletes trying to create advantages downhill and finish against stronger rim protection.
His lack of foot speed and top-end athleticism also shows up on the defensive end. Boozer isn't a turnstile whastover. He’s fine at the point of attack because he’s strong and has a good motor, but opponents can and will blow by him on their way to the rim because they are sometimes quicker.
Scouts are enamored with Boozer’s floor as a steady point guard who can command an offense, limit mistakes and score inside the paint. Where they hesitate is his ceiling, citing his lack of scroing acumen or high-end athleticism.
This is where I differ. I think ceilings are often overvalued. Best-case scenarios are both unlikely and unpredictable, and they tend to lean too heavily on physical tools while undervaluing tangible, repeatable skills.
What we already know about Boozer is far more concrete: he can efficiently run an offense by delivering the ball to teammates in advantageous spots, he has excellent touch inside the arc and from the free-throw line, and he applies the same feel to defense, generating extra possessions.
That’s impact, and I think you can count on it today.
Therefore, I’d consider him worthy of a pick in the back of the lottery or mid-first round. Teams understandably chase stars, but those bets miss a lot more often than they hit. Taking a player who may not project as a superstar but has a strong chance to be consistently impactful can be just as valuable.
In short, Boozer is not only his own prospect, independent of any expectations or grouping with his brother, but a good one, worthy of being selected in the first round of the draft in June.