The pre-draft process is all about over-analyzing and talking yourself out of what you know deep down is unequivocally true.
But it can also confirm things you already knew.
Like the fact that Cameron Boozer is a better NBA prospect than Caleb Wilson. He's a full year younger than the UNC product, and he had a much better freshman season at Duke than Wilson had at UNC. And that's not a knock on Wilson, who was terrific for the Tar Heels. But Boozer's season was historic. He was the runaway National Player of the Year for a reason.
In spite of that, draftniks and social media wannabe scouts decided late in the year that Boozer didn't have star traits at the next level, and there was a world in which he fell out of the top three with Wilson surging ahead of him.
After the first couple of days at the NBA Combine in Chicago, it's becoming clear that it isn't this world.
Boozer is having a terrific showing in Chicago, to the surprise of absolutely no Duke fan and no one who actually bothered to watch him play last season for the Blue Devils. The eye test and analytics all point toward Boozer being a better prospect than Wilson. Now the athletic testing at the Combine is doing the same thing.
To the surprise of many Boozer doubters, the Duke product outpaced Wilson in the pro lane agility drill. The Athletic's Same Vecenie took that as evidence of why Boozer was a better defender, by a wide margin, in college than Wilson:
I think what you see here is basically why Boozer was a better defender on the court this year than Wilson. Boozer's efficiency of movement is much better and Wilson's way stiffer laterally than people seem to want to talk about due to how explosive he is in straight lines. https://t.co/LrVpxiHN4Y
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) May 13, 2026
Cameron Boozer is having a brilliant showing at the NBA Combine
Not only was the talk of Boozer falling in the NBA Draft premature and downright silly, but it's starting to appear that the National Player of the Year could be in serious contention for the No. 1 overall pick.
Jonathan Givony lit the fuse for that on Tuesday.
Boozer may not be an all-world athlete, but he's athletic enough and has a strong, sturdy frame. He compares favorably physically to Bam Adebayo's measurements when he went through the Combine, and while he isn't the athlete Adebayo is, he's much, much more skilled at his age than Adebayo was coming out of Kentucky.
It also can't be understated that Boozer is one of the younger players in this class. He doesn't turn 19 until July. He's six months younger than both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, and a full year younger than Wilson. It makes how dominant he was during his one college season that much more impressive.
It wasn't just his pro lane agility drill that was eye-opening, either. Boozer's shooting prowess was on full display, too, which is one of his more underrated skills. He shot 39.1% this past season at Duke. That wasn't on low volume, either. Boozer attempted 138 threes during his freshman season.
He projects to be a good shooter with time at the next level, and that just adds to his overall appeal and makes him that much more likely to develop into an NBA star.
Boozer continues to feel like the safest bet in this draft class. NBA scouts are noticing it, too. With the Wizards holding the No. 1 pick and seemingly on the precipice of contention in the Eastern Conference after deadline deals netted them Trae Young and Anthony Davis, don't be surprised if the smoke continues to billow, linking Boozer to the nation's capital.
Add us as a preferred source on Google