The Prince who was Promised: Cam Boozer and the Charlotte Hornets are the perfect match

For the majority of NBA teams, it is far too early to be discussing ping pong balls and lottery prospects.

For the Charlotte Hornets, it seems as if it is never too early, and this year is no exception.

Anybody who knows anything about the 2026 NBA Draft class preaches that it is loaded with high-end talent at the top. A trio of wunderkinds: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybansta, and Cam Boozer; are supplemented by some intriguing, yet flawed, talents like Caleb Wilson, Mikel Brown Jr., and Nate Ament.

A few of those players would look great in purple and teal, but one in particular would fill a major hole in Charlotte's roster and kick start their rebuild into another gear.

Cam Boozer: The Prince that was Promised

Boozer is one of the more polished forward prospects to enter college basketball in recent memory. He plays like the 6'9" power forward version of Kon Knueppel: a high-IQ, fundamental, malleable piece that can thrive in any number of roles that a coach asks him to.

On offense, everything starts with his silky mitts.

Boozer has elite hands that vacuum up any pass thrown his way or rebound within his vicinity. When he catches the ball, Boozer knows exactly what to do with it; it's clear that his game was developed purposefully under the purview of his All-Star father.

His delicate, well-drilled footwork in paint pairs nicely with a relentless motor to make him a true force in the restricted area.

There was concern about Boozer's ability to finish at the rim against opponents with legitimate NBA size, but he squashed those worries in recent games against high-level front courts.

In a win against the defending national champion Florida Gators (who start three players taller than 6'9"), Boozer racked up 29 points and shot 7/11 at the rim in the highest usage game of his fledgling college career.

As a whole, Boozer is shooting 69.4% at the rim in 2025 with only 35.6% of his makes coming off assists. He's able to create looks for himself in the restricted area and finish through contact with elite balance that should translate to the next level.

Duke's five-out system spaces the court like an NBA team, and the added space on a professional floor will only help Boozer as he will be allowed more room to attack defenders in one-on-one situations.

I'm a believer that Boozer's balance, touch, footwork, and deep bag of tricks at the rim will mitigate any long-term concerns about his ability to score in the restricted area, much like how Kon Knueppel has found pay dirt at the professional level despite his limited athleticism.

There's more to Boozer's game than just bruising opposing front courts in the paint.

He's shot 37.2% from three on the season on 8.2 attempts per 100 possessions (an average number for college forwards). Boozer won't be a lights out shooter in the NBA, but he's shown enough touch from long-range to be taken seriously beyond the arc. He's comfortable stepping into threes in transition, but there is development to be had on his overall off-the-dribble jump shooting package.

Boozer is a smart passer that maps the court well for a big man. He displays a great feel for defensive leverage and is a willing passer that punishes opponents who send double teams his way.

The Duke forward is the only high major player taller than 6'8" that has an assist rate greater than 25.0 and a turnover rate less than 11.0 (per Bart Torvik) against top 100 competition in the country. A mouthy statistic, sure, but one that proves Boozer's elite feel for picking apart defenses without compromising possessions with turnovers, something that continues to be preached as basketball continues to evolve into a 'possession game.'

Duke is comfortable with giving Boozer the controls of their offense and letting him make decisions, even allowing the 6'9" bruiser to run pick and rolls as a ball handler from time to time, and he continues to be a high-level playmaker for Jon Scheyer.

His Bart Torvik advanced statistics page is full of green (re: above-average for his position), giving empirical evidence to match the dazzling eye test.

Boozer's fit with the Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte has been searching for their long-term answer at power forward since trading PJ Washington to the Dallas Mavericks.

Miles Bridges has done a fine job moonlighting as a four, but his game will age more gracefully against wings instead of bigs. Boozer would slot into Charles Lee's starting five and give him the type of high feel, uber productive, connective forward that would unlock the floor for Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and whoever else the team decides to build around going forward.

Listen to how Charles Lee described the vision for Tidjane Salaun during the second-year player's stint in Greensboro. Everything Lee wants to see from Tidjane, from defensive versatility, to operating as a connector on offense, to setting solid screens (which Boozer does well), to driving the ball with intent, Boozer can do right now. It's like he was tailor made to slot into Charlotte's starting five.

The Brotherhood has deep ties to the Hornets' organization and the bond would only grow stronger if Boozer lands in Charlotte. There's a long way to go until draft night, but it's never too early to start dreaming about how well Boozer would accelerate Charlotte's ongoing rebuild.

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