3 Reasons Cameron Boozer Could Return to Duke

The Duke basketball season ended a little earlier than anticipated after the Blue Devils underwent one of the biggest collapses in the history of the NCAA Tournament, falling to 2-seed UConn in the Elite Eight, 73-72.

Regardless, head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff now shift to offseason mode and look to rebuild the roster for 2026-27. For the second season in a row, the Blue Devils have fallen short of a National Championship appearance despite having the National Player of the Year on their roster.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

This time around, it was Cameron Boozer, who put together one of the most dominant freshman campaigns in recent memory. The 6'9" forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals a game on 55.6% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from three-point range.

Boozer tallied 22 double-doubles on the year and didn't score less than 13 points in any game this season. As expected, Boozer is likely headed off to the NBA as a consensus top-three 2026 draft prospect.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) goes to the basket against Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Let's not act like there's a real chance Boozer returns to college, but here are three legitimate reasons that could sway his mind and potentially bring the top player in the country back to Durham for a second season.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) goes to the basket against UConn Huskies forward Jayden Ross (23) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Opportunity To Play With Cayden Boozer One More Time

Cameron and his twin brother, Cayden, have been teammates their entire lives. The pair won four state championships at Columbus High School (FL) as seniors, including a Chipotle Boys National Championship, and were teammates in the McDonald's All-American Game.

With Cameron headed to the NBA, there's a great chance the two are never teammates again. Both Cameron and Cayden have spoken about how close they are and how much playing together means to them.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball against UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"This is the last time we were able to choose this, so I was never going to pass that up. I just feel like I let him down," Cayden said about being teammates with Cameron following Duke's crushing defeat against the Huskies.

Given that once one or both of the Boozer brothers leave Durham, they will likely never be teammates again, that could persuade Cameron to want to run it back one more time.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots over Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Cameron Boozer Would Be No. 1 Pick Most Other Years

Cameron Boozer was the best player in college basketball this season by miles. According to KenPom's National Player of the Year algorithm, Boozer finished with a rating of 2.942, the highest ever in that metric. The gap between Boozer at No. 1 and Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson at No. 2 (1.752) is 1.190.

For reference on how sizable that gap is, the margin between Jefferson at No. 2 and Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner at the No. 10 spot (1.497) is 0.255.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) shoots the ball as UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) defends in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

However, despite being the most consistently dominant player in the sport by a long shot, Boozer is still sitting as the No. 3 2026 NBA Draft prospect behind AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, two generational guard prospects.

Even if Boozer is taken at No. 3 instead of No. 1, that's still millions of dollars on the table. Who knows if he'd be taken with the top pick next season, but considering how weak the 2027 draft class is viewed, if Boozer is still just as dominant as a sophomore, there's a high chance he could go No. 1.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) keeps the ball from Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide (5) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Redemption

Not only did Duke commit arguably the biggest collapse in the history of college basketball, but it was Cayden Boozer who made the colossal turnover in the final seconds to give UConn a chance to win the game.

Who knows how much redemption in college matters to Cameron Boozer, but the Blue Devils were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and were bounced in the Elite Eight. That's a moment that will haunt Boozer and the rest of the Blue Devils forever.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) stands on court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A return gives the star forward a chance to redeem himself.