The Safest Pick That Could Rev the Pacers Into High Gear

The Pacers got absolutely rocked last night by the Philadelphia 76ers. This has been a familiar refrain all season long. The Pacers now fall to 15-44 in the tank race. They sped past the Brooklyn Nets for sole possession of second place. That’s second in the NBA lottery if you are new to my column. The #1 pick odds are still the same, but their odds of getting a top 5 pick just increased. That means that missing out on the best talent in the class could be an advantage for this team. You can read more about the riskiest pick here.

Final. pic.twitter.com/CGwMtBUhT1
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 25, 2026

Safe

The safest pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is Cameron Boozer from Duke. I wrote an article about him you can read it here. The Duke Blue Devils freshman power forward is one of the best players in the country. He has NBA pedigree, as he is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. He will only be 18 years old on the night of the NBA Draft. Yet, he already has the leadership skills of a senior.

Stats

Cam, the 6’9”, 250-pound bruising power forward, averages 22.7 ppg, 4.0 asts, and 10.1 rebs. He does this while shooting 58.3% from the field and 40.8% from the 3-point line. He is also a respectable free-throw shooter at 77.3% from the charity stripe. Cam handles the ball a lot for a big. He has a 29.6% usage rate while posting a 1.79 assist-to-turnover ratio. He leads all of college basketball in advanced stats like PER with an eye-popping 35.6.

Film

The stats are gaudy, and they are backed up on film. The biggest thing that stands out with Cam is his processing speed. He gets double teamed a lot, but his turnovers are low. The reason for that is the ball is usually gone before the double team reaches him. He makes decisions in the blink of an eye. Once he is on the low block, he doesn’t have a lot of moves but uses his wide frame and strength to get into the body of defenders for jump hooks and layups. He also gets to the foul line. He averages about 6.6 free throws per game. He is a terrific 3-point shooter on and off the ball. He is much better on catch-and-shoots.

The issues for Cam are on the defensive end. Yes, rebounding to end the possession is important, and he does that well. His foot speed is the issue, along with a lack of vertical athleticism. He will have to be an exceptional positional defender in the NBA. He currently is not that in college. He is smart, but it has not translated yet into high-level defensive success for him.

Pacers Fit

Cam would be the perfect fit for the Pacers because of his insanely fast processing speed. He doesn’t need the ball to be effective. He gives Indiana a legitimate low-post option who can still play fast. The pick-and-roll possibilities with Haliburton are very intriguing. He can start day one in the NBA. He has the ability to rebound and instantly outlet to ignite the break or even grab it off the glass and push it himself, this is exactly what this team needs.