Cameron Boozer Asserts Draft Dominance in Win Over Arkansas

The 2026 NBA Draft class has continued its hot start to the college basketball season, largely led by a myriad of talented five-star true freshmen.

So far, Duke forward Cameron Boozer has led the pack, helping No. 4 Duke to an 8-0 start with stellar, top-tier play. In a nine-point win against No. 22 Arkansas at the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic Thursday, he put together one of the best games thus far for a prospect.

Across 36 much-needed minutes from the enforcer, Boozer scored a season-high 35 points on a highly-efficient 13-for-18 shooting, managing to add nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in the process. He shot 50% from 3-point land on four attempts, and shot a great 7-for-11 from the free throw line.

Boozer was nearly unstoppable against the Razorbacks, getting into his usual low-post moves with impeccable footwork and touch, as well as adding plenty of face-up work, which NBA decision-makers are surely looking for.

He kept the pivot foot down for slick spinning layups, sliced down the lane for a few eye-popping dunks, facilitated for his teammates and continued to shoot well from beyond the arc, which has been a trend dating back far into his preps profile.

#Duke PF Cameron Boozer (6-10, 250, FR)

A masterclass performance from Boozer vs Arkansas — relentless face-up + post scoring, continuous display of feel, strength creation & efficiency (76.6% TS). Stout defensively vs Brazile/Pringle front-court.

35 PTS | 9 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL https://t.co/WhnrtwlQZW pic.twitter.com/6yDnpfbxds
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) November 28, 2025

Through eight games, Boozer’s pure strength has stood out more than anything, save for his high feel. He’s immovable in getting to his spots, using broad shoulders to absorb contact, which he can finish through with consistency.

Via both eye test and metrics, he's clearly impacting games for the fourth-ranked Blue Devils with his combination of scoring, passing and defensive consistency.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI regarding Boozer: "What makes him unique for a player his size is the way he processes the game and the fluidity with which he plays. The dynamic prospect isn’t the exact same player as Duke’s last two number one overall picks, Paolo Banchero and Cooper Flagg, but there are elements of both in his game."

To this point, Boozer seems to be trending toward being No. 1 on several draft boards, though that comes with the caveat that Kansas’ guard Darryn Peterson is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.

BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is also in contention averaging nearly 20 points per game for the Cougars, though he's looked slightly less dominant than Boozer in a few areas.

Regardless, the 2026 class is more than living up to the hype at this point, with others like Nate Ament, Caleb Wilson, Koa Peat and more continuing strong starts to the season.