No team in the NBA Draft had an easier time making a pick than the Memphis Grizzlies last night. There was no debate between the unquestioned top three prospects of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer. With Dybantsa and Peterson going one-two, the choice for Memphis was obvious.
At No. 3, they got the player they wanted all along. Duke's Cameron Boozer, the National Player of the Year in college basketball, fell right into their laps. Now, Memphis has its building block for the future, and a frontcourt that will immediately cause issues for every team around the league with Boozer joining Zach Edey, the former National Player of the Year from Purdue.
Grizzlies fans were simply elated with landing a player of Boozer's caliber. He provides them with immediate hope, and can be the face of the franchise in a post-Ja Morant world in Memphis. The Grizzlies are widely expected to move Morant this offseason as they forge a new path.
Like most NBA teams, the Grizzlies hosted a draft watch party at their home arena, FedEx Forum, on Tuesday night. The reaction of the crowd to the Boozer pick was a sight to behold.
Grizzlies fans erupt in celebration at draft watch party after Memphis selects Cameron Boozer
cam boozer is headed to the M 🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/P1Ang1lVHk
— Devin Walker (@Devin_Walker2) June 24, 2026
Those kinds of warm receptions don't always happen when players get picked. Fans come into drafts with preconceived notions of who they want their team to take. At No. 3, every single Grizzlies fan, save for a few exceptions, certainly, wanted the franchise to draft Boozer.
He was the safest bet in this draft class. He will be an impactful player from the moment he takes the floor with the Grizzlies, and it's clear from the jump that he will have the entire city of Memphis behind him when he steps onto the court for the first time at the FedEx Forum.
That's a big deal for a rookie. Not that it would matter for Boozer, who is oozing with confidence in himself as a player and a work ethic that will keep him from failing. Every city loves a winner, and success follows Boozer everywhere he goes. There's little doubt that Boozer will lead the Grizzlies to plenty of it down the line.
Memphis isn't a huge market, but it's a blue-collar city that will love watching Boozer play basketball. It won't take much time before he restores the "grit-and-grind" feeling the franchise gave the city during its heyday in the 2010s.
Add us as a preferred source on Google