Duke's Cameron Boozer Moving Up NBA Draft Boards

Since the beginning of the 2025-26 college basketball season, the consensus top-three 2026 NBA Draft prospects have remained the same: BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson, and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer.

Boozer came into Duke as one of the most decorated high school prospects of all-time, but he also came one year after Cooper Flagg put together one of the best rookie campaigns in recent college basketball memory in a Blue Devil uniform. Flagg won the National Player of the Year award and was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

May 3, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is interviewed before the start of the 2026 Wurth 400 cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Despite the massive shoes Boozer was asked to fill coming in as Duke's next prized rookie, not only did the 6'9" forward have a better freshman season than Flagg, but he put together one of the most dominant college basketball seasons of the last few decades.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) rebounds against the UConn Huskies 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 Was Quite Literally Unstoppable

From day one, Boozer couldn't be stopped. It didn't take long for fans to realize that he was Duke's best scorer, passer, and rebounder, and was the most consistently dominant player in the sport.

Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals a night on 55.6% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from three. The Miami native notched 22 double-doubles and didn't score in single digits in any contest all year.

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer is awarded the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Award presented by the US Basketball Writers Association and the Associated Press during the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Boozer won the 2026 National Player of the Year award, but the difference this season was that there was no competition after January for who the honor would go to.

Boozer Rising in NBA Mock Drafts

Despite the utterly dominant campaign Boozer put together, he still never jumped Peterson or Dybantsa as the potential No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 draft. The big man's less-than-flashy play style hints at a lower ceiling than Peterson or Dybantsa, who both project to be No. 1 scoring options on NBA title-caliber teams.

Boozer has sat in the No. 3 spot for months, but if a few dominoes fall his way, he could jump up.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dunks in the second half against the Texas Longhorns during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

CBS Sports' Adam Finkelstein recently released his latest 2026 NBA mock draft, and Boozer jumped Peterson for the No. 2 spot, where he is projected to be selected by the Indiana Pacers.

"Darryn Peterson is the second ranked prospect on the CBS Sports Big Board, but if the lottery fails this way I won't be surprised to see Boozer be Indiana's pick," Finkelstein said. "He's the surest thing in this draft. He had a historic high school career, was the college basketball player of the year, and has an extremely high floor with his overlap of physicality, skill, and basketball IQ."

Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) controls the ball against St. John's Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell (1) in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Boozer might not have the highest ceiling in the draft, but he certainly has the highest floor. Simply put, Boozer has won and dominated at literally every level he has ever played at. There's no reason to believe that it won't continue.

For a team like Indiana, poised to get star guard Tyrese Haliburton back next season, adding a Swiss-army-knife like Boozer would be a major addition.

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