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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Heading into the final stretch before the 2026 NBA Draft, Cameron Boozer's stock has dramatically shifted.
Most boards leading up to the draft had him in the top three, but still a tier below AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, widely viewed as the top two talents in the class. But Colin Cowherd just reported how the perception around Boozer has shifted significantly in recent days.
On Tuesday, just hours before the 2026 NBA Draft tips off, Cowherd pointed to Tom Haberstroh and former NBA front office executive John Hollinger as two respected names who both argue that Boozer shouldn't go No. 3 or even No. 2, but should be the No.1 overall pick in the entire draft, ahead of both Dybantsa and Peterson.
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"Tom Haberstroh, smart guy, says don't make the Jalen Brunson second-generation mistake. Draft Duke's Cameron Boozer number one. His dad, Carlos Boozer, very good NBA player. Also, John Hollinger on our show yesterday, former VP of Ops for the Memphis Grizzlies. He came out and said draft Cameron Boozer number one. The genetics with the dad, the understanding, the smarts, the work ethic, Boozer really improved his 3-point shooting. So two smart guys. Haberstroh and Hollinger think Boozer should be the number one pick," Cowherd said.
What really stood out was what Hollinger said about Boozer, likening him to Denver Nuggets franchise star Nikola Jokic, and calling him a "better version of Kevin Love," who was a five-time All-Star and one of the best shooting bigs of all time.
"His ability to handle the ball on the perimeter and pass for his size and play almost as a guard reminds me a little bit of what Jokic does with Denver," Hollinger said. "To me, he's like a better version of Kevin Love, I would say. And that to me is an All-Star and a really good player. And I think there's still a ceiling to get beyond that.
"Let me tell you something. If Cam Boozer's a better Kevin Love, you got yourself a hell of a player," Cowherd added.
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In Boozer's lone season at Duke, he averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and shot 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range, on 3.6 shots from deep a game. He won the National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year, while guiding the Blue Devils to a 35-3 record and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
He's a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward with elite strength, polished footwork, passing vision, and shooting touch that only improved as the season wore on. He's also shown a level of professionalism and maturity that's rare for an 18-year-old, which can likely be attributed, at least in part, to him being the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
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Up to this point, he hasn't been considered the top player in the draft because of his limited explosiveness, quickness, and questions about how his game would translate to the NBA level, where everybody will be bigger, stronger, and more athletic. Scouts have consistently referred to him as a "high floor, low ceiling" type of player who might stack a few All-Star nods but isn't a generational type player you can realistically build a perennial contender around.
Of course, they said the same thing about Jalen Brunson, also the son of a former NBA player, back in 2018, who just won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks.
Comparing Boozer to Jokic is bold, to say the least. He's an eight-time All-Star, three-time league MVP, an NBA champion, and one of the greatest players of his generation. But if there's even a chance Boozer could evolve into that, passing up on him would be devastating.
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