Cameron Boozer is officially a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
After watching the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz pass on Boozer to take AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, respectively, the Grizzlies were delighted to pull the trigger on Boozer at No. 3.
Memphis was the long-rumored landing spot for the superstar from Duke. He was mocked there consistently following the draft lottery, despite some smoke connecting with the Jazz in the last couple of weeks.
Boozer will enter the NBA with plenty of motivation. He stated confidently in an interview just a couple of hours before the draft got started that he should be the No. 1 pick and everyone will look back on that and agree with him a few years down the line.
Cameron Boozer's fit with the Memphis Grizzlies is obvious
Any disappointment Boozer might feel for not going No. 1 overall will quickly dissipate. The Grizzlies are a perfect fit for him, and there will be little question as to who is the unquestioned alpha in Memphis the moment Boozer steps foot on the court at the FedEx Forum.
Whereas there could have been clunkier fits in Washington and Utah, Memphis won't be that way. The Wizards already have both Trae Young and Anthony Davis, along with several talented young players, and the Jazz have a loaded frontcourt after acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline.
The Grizzlies are rumored to be shopping former franchise cornerstone Ja Morant. Boozer will be the face of their rebuild. He and former Purdue star Zach Edey will immediately form a formidable frontcourt. They should work well together, giving opponents fits with their relentless effort on the glass.
Duke fans will also get to see the pairing of Boozer and Cedric Coward, just one year too late. Coward was committed to the Blue Devils out of the Transfer Portal a year ago, but blew up during the pre-draft process and was ultimately selected by Memphis in the lottery.
The Western Conference is a gauntlet, but now the Grizzlies have a major building block in Boozer. They will look to build the roster around his skill set in the coming years. With Boozer, one thing is all but guaranteed: winning.
Even in a loaded conference featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, it won't be long before Boozer is leading a team that will be able to go punch-for-punch with them. He has the ability and the mindset to bring the Grizzlies back to contention in a hurry.
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