During the NBA draft combine in Chicago last month, a curious image appeared on the ESPN broadcast for close observers.
Duke phenom and top-three prospect Cameron Boozer was completing his workouts on the floor, and the camera cut to his father, Carlos Boozer, sitting in the stands, wearing a shirt with the Utah Jazz logo on it.
Carlos Boozer played in Utah from 2004 to 2010 and is now a scout for the Jazz. The shirt was his work uniform, not a display of favoritism.
Part of his job is evaluating prospects that Utah could take with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, and his son just happens to be near the top of everyone’s list — especially the analytics lovers.
Boozer buzz
“If you talk to the analytics people in NBA front offices, who have a lot of influence these days, 100% of them have Cam Boozer at No. 1 at the top of their draft model,” draft expert Jonathan Givony said on “The Herd” on May 30.
Givony posted on X after his appearance on the show that he believes “Cam Boozer will be a 20 (point), 10 (rebound) guy from day one and push for an All-Star nod as a rookie.”
John Hollinger at The Athletic had perhaps the highest praise of all when he put Cameron Boozer at the top of his rankings last month, saying he was “basically college basketball Nikola Jokic” during his freshman season at Duke.
The 2026 National College Player of the Year averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, four assists and 1.4 steals per game on 55.6% shooting from the field, 39.1% from three and 78.9% from the free-throw line en route to a 35-3 record and Elite Eight appearance for the Blue Devils.
The only red mark on Cameron Boozer’s stat profile is a lack of elite shot-blocking for a power forward, but Hollinger says, “Don’t worry about the defense, because the offense is going to be ridiculous.”
Hollinger also pointed out that Cameron Boozer is the youngest player in the draft, as the teenager born during his father’s playing days in Salt Lake City will not turn 19 until July 18.
The younger Boozer is almost identical to his father from a physical standpoint, standing just over 6-foot-8 and weighing right around 250 pounds. The NBA game has obviously changed over the last 20 years, but the Boozer penchant for elite paint scoring and rebounding remains.
Jazz fit
For Cameron Boozer to make sense for the Jazz at No. 2 — beyond the obvious familial connection — a decision on the age-old argument between team fit and sheer talent must be made.
The only two players currently under guaranteed contracts with the Jazz beyond 2028, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., also happen to be power forwards, and both will likely start every game for Utah when healthy.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper has shown that rising stars don’t necessarily have to start, however, and Cameron Boozer could find his footing off the bench in his first year for a Jazz team expected to take a big jump in wins next season — not unlike San Antonio this season.
The other side of the draft strategy coin is to simply take the best player available at whatever pick you are selecting. Many analysts would argue that that is Cameron Boozer at both one and two.
“There’s really no perfect Boozer comparison,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo said on June 1. “His history of winning and incredible production suggest he is a unique player who breaks convention. The difficulty of this comparison almost validates all the arguments for Boozer being the first pick.”
The 2026 NBA draft begins on Tuesday, June 23, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Utah’s No. 2 overall pick is its highest selection since taking Darrell Griffith second in 1980.
