Cameron Boozer vs. Darryn Peterson: Who Should Be the Top Pick After AJ Dybantsa in 2026?
AJ Dybantsa might be the favorite to go No. 1, but the race for the picks right behind him is one of the best we have seen in years. Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson are both special, and the team that lands either one is getting a potential star.
Start with Boozer, because his resume is absurd. The Duke forward averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, shot 39.1 percent from three, and tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles. He swept the Naismith and AP Player of the Year awards. That is a freshman dominating college basketball at a historic level.
Boozer measured at 6-foot-8 and a quarter with a 7-foot-1 and a half wingspan. He is a polished, productive big who already plays like a pro. There is very little projection here. You know exactly what you are getting, and what you are getting is excellent.
The Case for Peterson
Peterson is the most gifted scorer and shotmaker in the entire class. The Kansas guard averaged 20.2 points per game and has the kind of on-ball creation that wins playoff games down the road. He measured at 6-foot-4 and a half with a near 6-foot-10 wingspan and a 37 and a half inch vertical.
If you are a team that needs a guard who can get a bucket whenever the offense breaks down, Peterson is your guy. He has more room to grow as a creator, and the upside on a shotmaker that smooth is enormous.
How I Would Rank Them
This is splitting hairs between two future All-Stars, but I lean Boozer for the floor and the production. He dominated against grown men as a teenager and won every award there was to win. That kind of proven output is hard to bet against.
Peterson is the higher-variance pick. If his playmaking catches up to his scoring, he could end up the best player from this entire class. That is the swing a rebuilding team chasing a star might happily take.
The good news for everyone involved: there is no wrong answer here. Both Boozer and Peterson declared, both are ready to contribute right away, and both have the talent to change a franchise. The draft runs June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center, and the teams picking near the top are going to come away thrilled. Whichever way the board falls, the franchises lucky enough to draft this trio of talents are setting themselves up for the next decade.
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.
