The 2026 NBA Draft just got more interesting. Cameron Boozer was already a projected top pick. After his performance at the Draft Combine in Chicago, he might actually be the No. 1 pick.
The Duke freshman put on a clinic at the combine, hitting 59 percent of his three-point attempts during shooting drills and going 19-of-25 on spot-up shots, including nine in a row at one point. He tied potential top pick Darryn Peterson on the spot-up portion. His agility scores beat both Peterson and another expected top-five pick, Caleb Wilson. He also measured 6-8.25 in shoes, 252.8 pounds, with a 7-1.5 wingspan and a 35-inch vertical.
Translation. He looks like a finished product, and he is 19.
Boozer just finished a dominant freshman season at Duke that earned him National Collegiate Player of the Year. He carried Duke through the ACC and into the NCAA Tournament. He averaged near a double-double for most of the season. The question coming into the combine was whether he could shoot at NBA range and whether his athletic tools translated.
The combine answered both questions in his favor.
For most of the past 18 months, the consensus top three of this draft has been the same. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer. Dybantsa, the BYU star, was widely considered the favorite for No. 1. Peterson, the Kansas guard, was the dark horse who refused to fade. Boozer was the third name in the conversation, but rarely the first.
Now the order is in flux.
Dybantsa is still the favorite at the top. He measured 6-8.5 without shoes, 7-0.5 wingspan, with a 42-inch max vertical. He shot 76.7 percent off the dribble at the combine and went 10-for-10 from the free throw line. He believes he is the No. 1 pick, and most NBA evaluators agree.
Peterson did his part too. He measured 6-4.5 without shoes with a 6-9.75 wingspan. He shot 76 percent on spot-up attempts and posted a 37.5-inch max vertical. He has been the favorite of several front offices all season.
Boozer’s combine made the race a true three-man competition.
This is the part that Washington Wizards fans should be watching carefully. The Wizards landed the No. 1 overall pick at the NBA Draft Lottery. They get to choose among Dybantsa, Peterson, and now Boozer. That is the kind of decision that defines a rebuild.
The case for Boozer is the high floor. He is the most polished offensive player of the three. He has NBA size, NBA shooting, and a body that is already ready for the pros. The case against Boozer is that his ceiling might be slightly lower than the more explosive guards. He is a four with three skills, not a wing creator.
The case for Dybantsa is the upside. The case for Peterson is the playmaking. Each of the three has a real argument.
That is the fun part of this draft. There is no consensus. There are no obvious right answers. The 2026 class is loaded enough that the Wizards could miss on the top pick and still get a star at four. It is also deep enough that a team picking eighth could land a future All-Star.
The Draft is set for June 23 and 24, broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The NCAA’s withdrawal deadline is May 27. That date will shake the board further when players return to college.
Cameron Boozer is staying in. He has made sure of it. The conversation at the top now includes him as a real option, and the Wizards have a decision to make.
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.
