Should Cameron Boozer Be Favorite for NBA Rookie of The Year?

Cameron Boozer walks into the league as one of the premier all-around talents in recent memory, with a clear path to winning the NBA's most prestigious award for newcomers – Rookie of the Year.

Selected #3 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies secured the top prospect and best player in the whole class, based on impact metrics and the four factors, with elite outlier traits in rebounding, scoring versatility, and team offense shot creation.

With a brand new supporting cast around him in Memphis and plenty of opportunity for the taking, does this combination of talent, skill, and potential make Boozer the clear favorite for NBA ROY?

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Should Boozer be the Favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year?

Boozer, Lopez, Saunders — Grizzlies 2026 draft picks Karim Lopez, Cam Boozer and Richie Saunders listen to questions from the media during their introductory press conference at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on June 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Joe Mullinax

Of course Boozer is the favorite. Who else does he have to contend with for production?

Darryn Peterson has Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. (among others). AJ Dybansta has Trae Young and Anthony Davis.

Boozer may already be the best player on his team, and even if he’s not, no one on the roster is going to block him from opportunity. Scheme will be built around him offensively from the jump. Because of that? It’s his award to lose.

Major Passons

Boozer rightfully won Nation Player of the Year honors for his performance at Duke last season. He was the best player when you pair consistency, production, and team success.

The NBA, though, is a different animal. I believe Boozer will finish in the Top 5 for Rookie of the Year voting, but I believe it would be a stretch to have him as the favorite. My current leader is Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz, then closely followed by Caleb Wilson of the Chicago Bulls.

It is certainly a possibility that at the end of the year Boozer has the largest body of work and does take the award, but I would not put money on that. Boozer will be a pro for a long time, but I am skeptical of his star potential in the NBA. This is in contrast to Peterson and Wilson, who I believe have the tools to be Day 1 high level impact players.

Ryan Kaminski

Absolutely, Boozer should be the favorite for Rookie of the Year; but, it could very easily be a tight race. Boozer is the best prospect in the draft in my book, projecting to bring the most overall winning impact through the total sum of the many small good decisions he makes throughout every game.

His playstyle should translate immediately in facets like rebounding, transition playmaking, 3pt shooting, and efficient scoring versatility in all the shots he creates for himself and his team as a connective hub. While his defensive impact as an individual defender might take some time to round out into his final form, his team defense instincts to force turnovers via steals and deflections will immediately be a factor for Memphis.

With Boozer likely to post high impact numbers on a team built for his strengths, he will likely fill out the box score with endless opportunity due to little to no competition for touches; he's earned the title of the best bet. Fellow Top-4 picks Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, and AJ Dybantsa, however, will all likely make some noise for the award too, and there's always an unexpected rookie who jumps into the conversation; watch out for Ebuka Okorie in Detroit, Kingston Flemings in Atlanta, Yaxel Lendeborg in Golden State, Brayden Burries in Milwaukee, Allen Graves in Toronto, and Labaron Philon in Philadelphia; this is one talented draft class.

Ethan J. Skolnick

There are typically three factors that play into whether a player wins Rookie of the Year. Minutes from the start of the season. Opportunities for statistical accumulation, specifically on the scoring side. And some kind of team success, though that factors in to a lesser extent.

Cameron Boozer can win Rookie of the Year because of the first two, and perhaps even the third -- but that may depend on the health of Zach Edey, as the Grizzlies try to rise to at least Play-In Tournament position.

But I'm not sure you can make him the favorite. The stat that tends to stick most with voters is scoring, and he may lag a little behind Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa in that category; he will fill up the rest of the stat sheet for sure (especially rebounds and assists) but Peterson and Dybantsa (especially) are put in positions where 20 points per night is a possibility. And that might decide. Either way, Boozer will be in the mix, and should be top-five.

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