Cameron Boozer, Duke’s latest blue chip commit, is an NBA superstar in the making

Photo by ALTAN GOCHER/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Cameron Boozer is growing into a future NBA star. Next stop: Duke. Here’s why he’s so good.

Cameron Boozer has been so good for so long that there can be a tendency to take his steady dominance for granted. As the class of 2025 has come of age, players with more explosive athleticism and more impressive tough shot-making have gotten the lion’s share of the hype as the ‘next big thing’ to uncover. The one constant along the way is that if Boozer and his twin brother are on the court, their team is almost always winning.

Cameron and Cayden Boozer committed to Duke over Miami on Friday. The twins will follow in the footsteps of their father, long-time NBA forward Carlos Boozer, when they walk onto campus in Durham. If their likely brief college stay is anything like their illustrious high school careers, the Blue Devils are going to be winning games at a high level.

Here’s a brief list of accomplishments for Cameron and Cayden Boozer in the prep ranks:

Three straight state championships at Miami’s Columbus High School.
Three straight EYBL championships with Nightrydas Elite, in the U15, U16, and U17 divisions.
Two gold medals with USA Basketball’s junior programs, where Cameron was named MVP of both events.

During their first three years at Columbus, the Boozers went 85-12 overall. In their final season of grassroots ball on the EYBL, they finished the year with a 22-1 record. As members of the U17 World Cup, the twins starred on a team that won by an average of 64.4 points per game. Winning comes easy to the Boozers, and there’s so much more to it than just their NBA bloodlines.

Cayden is rated as a top-five point guard recruit in the country. The 6’3 guard is a dogged point-of-attack defender and heady passer who knows how to control the tempo of the game. He projects as a killer college point guard, and will likely one day be an NBA draft pick. He’s also clearly a secondary story in the twins’ commitment, because his brother looks every bit like a future NBA superstar.

Cameron Boozer is 6’9 tank who has a legitimate claim as the most polished high school scorer since the shoe company circuits came into existence. From a raw statistical perspective, Boozer’s efficiency is mind-blowing. He posted a true shooting percentage at or above 70 percent in every major event he’s played in, and led the EYBL in points per possession by a mile. With Boozer as the center of their lineups, Nightrydas finished No. 1 in offensive efficiency and No. 2 in defensive efficiency this year.

Boozer has a lot going for him as a player, but his biggest weapon is his feel for the game. He’s a master at picking out the weaknesses in the opposition’s schemes, and finding the most brutally efficient way possible to punish them.

It helps to be big and strong, and Cameron Boozer is certainly that. Listed at 6’9, 235 pounds, Boozer is a hybrid big man with true three-level scoring ability. In the same game, you will often see Boozer go from a heliocentric wing scorer to a post-up battering ram to a front court passing hub. He has no real weaknesses in his skill set, and he consistently plays harder and smarter than anyone else on the court.

Boozer is a powerful inside scorer

Boozer wanted to show his skill on the perimeter early in his career, but as he got older it became clear that no one could stop him inside. He’s so good at establishing deep paint touches, and leveraging his masterful footwork and soft touch to find baskets inside. Here he is taking A.J. Dybantsa — the only player ranked ahead of him in the class of 2025 — into the paint off the bounce, and using his big body to create separation for the bucket inside.

Boozer is also excellent as a rebounder, especially on the offensive end. He plays with a consistently high motor that leads to multiple putbacks per game. It’s common to see him follow his own shot inside and put in his own misses. He gets off the floor extremely well for someone with such a thick frame, and his nose for the ball is undeniable.

Here’s Boozer grabbing multiple rebounds over future top NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg and Maryland-bound teammate Derik Queen before finishing through traffic:

Boozer can handle the ball like a star wing scorer

The size and strength advantage Boozer has on his opponents in high school is going to shrink as he jumps to college and then the pros. NBA stars of all shapes and sizes have to be able to play out on the perimeter now, and Boozer can very much do that.

He’s an advanced ball handler for someone his size and his age, showing good ball control and the ability to stay low with his dribble. He’s more of a strength-based creator than someone who will dust you with his first step, but he’s a load to deal with once he gets going downhill.

Players of all sizes just seem to bounce off Boozer on his drives. He’s not heavily strong-hand dependent, and does a good job of using his thick lower body to keep defenders off him. Watch him create space against Queen and over over Flagg for another bucket:

Boozer’s shooting looks promising

Shooting development will be a swing skill for any top prospect entering the league with legit positional size. Boozer is already a good shooter, if not yet a great one. It’s hard to find reliable shooting percentages, but most reports typically have him around 33-35 percent. He has a bit of a slow release on this three-point shot right now, but there’s no doubt he has real range.

Here’s four example of Boozer hitting deep three-pointers off the catch as a floor spacer.

Boozer can pass it, too

Boozer’s scoring is so effective in part because he rarely gets tunnel vision. He does a tremendous job of mapping the floor and knowing where his teammates are for an open pass. It’s so rare to see a 16-year-old process the game like this.

Boozer’s passing really pops when defenses start to focus in on taking his scoring away. He rarely seems to force his own scoring chances, and can throw some spectacular dimes when he has an open cutter.

Boozer’s outlet passing is also a unique weapon. He understands the ball moves faster than your feet, and does a nice job of keeping his eyes up court when he grabs a rebound. Duke is going to score so many easy buckets off his transition passing during his freshman year.

Boozer looks like a future NBA star

The race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will come down to Boozer vs. Dybantsa. Dybantsa is the No. 1 player in most class of 2025 rankings right now, and appears to have a decent lead on Boozer to eventually be the NBA’s top pick. Dybantsa — a wing in the Tracy McGrady mold — is full of projectable NBA upside. I still prefer Boozer’s polish, IQ, and efficiency, even if he isn’t as nimble and lacks Dybantsa’s nuclear explosiveness.

Boozer’s fit on defense will be interesting. He’s mostly played the five in high school, but he’ll be a tad short for that in the NBA. If he’s going to be a full-time four, he’ll need to continue to improve as a shooter. While his defense looks solid from a paint protection standpoint, it’s fair to wonder if his feet will be a little slow guarding NBA fours on the perimeter.

Still, Boozer’s mix of statistical dominance and translatable, well-rounded skills are too impressive to bet against. Born July 18, 2007, Boozer’s ruthless ability to win at the highest levels becomes more impressive when you realize he’s often much younger than his peers. If Flagg is the best NBA prospect outside of league right now, Boozer isn’t far behind him as No. 2 in my book.

Duke has had some brilliant oversized scoring forwards over the years, from Jabari Parker to Brandon Ingram to Jayson Tatum to Zion Williamson to Jalen Johnson to Paolo Banchero to Flagg. Boozer has a chance to be as good as any of them.