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On ESPN’s special coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft, Jay Bilas gave high praise to Cameron Boozer. Boozer is projected to be one of the top picks in the NBA Draft, but Bilas gave him high praise, calling him the “best pure basketball player.”
“But he’s still one of the youngest players in this draft, and he plays with a maturity that’s well beyond his years. I think he’s the best pure basketball player in the draft.”
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He then broke down the aspects of his game that he believes make him the best pure basketball player among the prospects in line to be selected on Tuesday evening.
“He’s high-level productivity. I think at one point his worst game of the year was, like, 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists. That was the low point. He had 14 games where he led Duke in scoring, rebounding, and assists in the same game. The thing that sets him apart to me is his ability to process difficult situations in real time. Mm. Yeah. Double teams when he’s a pick-and-roll handler, he makes…He’s an excellent passer. He can post, he can handle the basketball, and he shoots at 40% with a pretty decent usage rate for a big guy from three-point range. Like, he, he’s the complete package…We talked about safe picks. He’s as safe as it gets.”
Boozer did indeed showcase a stellar skill set in his lone season with the Duke Blue Devils. He finished the season averaging 22.5 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game, while shooting 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range.
With AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson likely battling for the top spot for the top two picks in the 2026 NBA draft, it’ll be fascinating where Cameron Boozer winds up and how he’ll affect the franchise that he’s selected to.
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