Cameron Boozer had a strong argument to be the MVP of the NBA's Summer League. He put up averages of 18 points and 10 rebounds per game and led the Memphis Grizzlies to the championship game in Las Vegas, where they came up short against the Golden State Warriors.
Yaxel Lendeborg took home the MVP as a result, despite putting up less impressive averages than his counterpart. Boozer was named to the All Summer League 1st Team for his efforts.
His performance in the Summer League was exactly what Duke fans expected. It has even served to change the minds of some of his doubters.
One of those doubters is his now-teammate, GG Jackson, who joked shortly after the Grizzlies selected Boozer that the rookie would be setting a lot of screens for him next season. But after his run in Las Vegas, Jackson couldn't help but become a believer in Boozer:
"He's the goods. ... By the looks of it, we’re going to be setting each other screens, because he can do everything on the floor, Jackson said, via Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian.
GG Jackson is now a believer in what Cameron Boozer will bring to the Memphis Grizzlies
It's not always the easiest thing for a veteran player to accept that a rookie is going to come in and immediately become the face of the franchise. There's always some pushback. Boozer will remove any of that with his blue-collar mentality and how hard he'll work from the moment he reports to Training Camp in Memphis.
It didn't even take that long for Jackson to see it. Summer League made it obvious.
And believe it or not, despite being just 21-years-old himself, Jackson is now the longest-tenured Grizzlies player left on the roster. It's been a total makeover for Memphis this offseason. They are rebuilding the roster in Boozer's image.
Jackson saw what Duke fans already knew. He's seen what every fan and player in Memphis is going to see soon enough. Same for the rest of the league.
Boozer is the goods. He's going to change the culture in Memphis immediately. The Grizzlies are going to be competitive quicker than anyone expects, even if he has to drag his teammates along kicking and screaming.
He's a winner. He's always been a winner. That's not going to change in a new city or in a new league.
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