Comparing Boozer's and Flagg's Elite Freshman Seasons at Duke

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has had the National Player of the Year on his roster for two straight seasons. In 2026, it was Cameron Boozer. In 2025, it was Cooper Flagg.

Both Boozer and Flagg came into college basketball as elite high school prospects, but for different reasons. Flagg reclassified into the 2024 recruiting class and was regarded as one of the top can't-miss prospects of the last few decades.

May 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Cameron Boozer participates in the 2026 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

As for Boozer, he was one of the most decorated high school recruits of all-time. He and his twin brother, Cayden, won four straight state championships at Columbus (FL) and the Chipotle Boys National Championship as seniors. Cameron was a two-time Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year and a two-time Mr. Basketball USA.

After Flagg put together a historic rookie year for Duke, it was a tall task for Boozer to best the 2025 No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick. Let's break down which of the two rookies had a better season with the Blue Devils.

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 the Better College Player

Flagg was fantastic for the Blue Devils, leading a team with five 2025 NBA Draft picks, including three in the top-10, in every major statistical category. The 6'9" forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals a game on 48.1% shooting from the field and 38.5% shooting from three on 3.6 attempts.

The Maine native set the ACC rookie single-game scoring record with 42 points against Notre Dame (which was beaten by Mikel Brown Jr. this past season) en route to winning the ACC Player of the Year award and the National Player of the Year award.

Still, Boozer had a better year.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) walks off the court after losing to the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Boozer is a completely different player from Flagg as a below-the-rim forward with somewhat lackluster athletic ability. However, the big man's consistency and dominance were unprecedented.

Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals a night on 55.6% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from the perimeter on 3.6 attempts. The 2026 ACC and National Player of the Year tallied 22 double-doubles on the year and didn't score in single-digits in one contest all season long.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Miami native was literally as consistent as a player can get, and was the sure-fire best player in college basketball from day one. That isn't meant to take anything away from Flagg, but with Boozer, there was never even a debate.

According to KenPom's National Player of the Year algorithm, Flagg led the metric with a rating of 2.734. The player in the No. 2 spot in 2025 was Auburn forward Johni Broome with a rating of 2.317, making the gap from the No. 1 to No. 2 spot 0.417.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots the ball over Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) 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

It Wasn't Even Close With Boozer

Boozer ended the 2026 campaign with a KenPom NPOY rating of 2.951, the highest rating ever since the metric began in 2011. The player in the No. 2 spot this year was Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson with a rating of 1.758. This makes the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 a whopping 1.193.

For reference into how massive that gap is, the No. 10 player in this metric in 2026 was Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, with a rating of 1.502. The number between No. 2 and No. 10 was 0.256.

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

Both Boozer and Flagg led the nation in their respective seasons in Offensive Bayesian Performance Rating and Total Bayesian Performance rating at EvanMiya.com, two metrics that measure a player's offensive and total impact for his team when he is on the floor.

Boozer's OBPR (9.60) and BPR (14.46) outdid those ratings of Flagg at 7.41 and 13.07, respectively.

With those numbers, Boozer was also undoubtedly the best player in the sport, facing arguably the most talented freshman class of all-time. This is one of the deepest NBA Draft classes ever, featuring future stars such as AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, and Labaron Philon, among others.

de' — Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) and Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) battle for the ball in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Again, this is in no way meant to discredit what Flagg did in a Duke uniform, but Boozer's consistency and dominance were unmatched.

It's irrelevant most of the time to form an argument based on hypotheticals, but I think it's fair to say that Boozer meant more to the 2025-26 Duke team than Flagg did to the 2024-25 squad.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) and UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) go for a loose ball 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

Duke's entire 2024-25 starting lineup was selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, making it one of the most talented Duke teams in recent memory. If the 2025-26 squad didn't have Boozer, its floor would have been significantly lower.

Now, Flagg is undoubtedly the better pro prospect, as he just showed as the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year. He will have a long and productive career in the NBA, as will Boozer. But in terms of sheer production with the Blue Devils, Boozer wins that argument.

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