Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3 is the consensus pick across every credible mock draft, and it makes perfect basketball sense.
Boozer was the best player in college basketball last season. He won National Player of the Year at Duke. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three and 78.9 percent from the line. Those numbers are not just good. They are absurd for a freshman big man.
The Grizzlies are in transition. They traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz at the February trade deadline. They are widely expected to move Ja Morant this offseason as part of a full reset. Boozer would walk into a team built around Desmond Bane and a bunch of young pieces, and he would immediately be the offensive focal point.
The fit is what matters here. Memphis has always valued production over potential. The Grizzlies built around Marc Gasol and Mike Conley by drafting tough, polished college players who could contribute immediately. Boozer is exactly that profile. He is not a project. He is a player.
His ability to play both forward spots gives the Grizzlies lineup flexibility. He can run as a small ball five next to Bane and a couple of guards. He can play the four next to a traditional center if Memphis acquires one. His passing is already advanced for a big. He can be the offensive hub through whom the offense flows.
The shooting is what separates Boozer from a typical college big who falls short at the next level. He shot nearly 40 percent from three at Duke on real volume. That is not just spot-up shooting. He showed pick-and-pop range. He showed the ability to relocate. He showed an understanding of when to take threes and when to attack closeouts.
The Grizzlies have been waiting for a player like this since they realized Jaren Jackson Jr. was not going to be it. Jackson Jr. is a great defender and a streaky scorer. Boozer projects as a more reliable two-way force. His defensive feel is good. He rebounds at a high level. He moves his feet on the perimeter.
His twin brother Cayden, also coming out of Duke, is projected as a first-round pick. There has been some chatter that the Grizzlies could try to package picks to grab Cayden later in the first round and reunite the brothers. That is the kind of move that would print money on jersey sales alone.
The Grizzlies are not done rebuilding. But Boozer would speed it up significantly. With the right supporting moves around him this summer, Memphis could be back in the playoff conversation within a year or two.
The match is too clean to ignore. Boozer is going to Memphis. And Memphis fans should be excited about what comes next.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
