It came as no surprise to Duke fans that Cameron Boozer put on a show in Las Vegas during the NBA's Summer League. He looked like a grizzled veteran from the opening tip-off, and that probably won't change when the real season starts in a few months.
Boozer is the odds-on favorite to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. He showed why in Vegas.
He was in line to capture the Summer League MVP, too, but the Grizzlies came up just short against the Warriors in the Summer League Championship, costing him that accolade. That's fine by him. He didn't want the MVP anyway after losing the title game.
Boozer was named to the All Summer League first team; however, Yaxel Lendeborg took home the MVP honors.
Cameron Boozer misses out on Summer League MVP
Boozer put up statistics worthy of winning the MVP honors. He averaged18.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Had Memphis gotten to the finish line against Golden State, then Boozer would have won the award.
That accolade was small potatoes to him, though. He was much more frustrated that the Grizzlies didn't win the championship.
But his performance this summer, and Memphis getting to the title game, shows exactly what the Grizzlies are getting with the No. 3 overall pick. He's going to bring a winning culture with him to the NBA's regular season, too.
Memphis made a smart move in Las Vegas to send last year's lottery pick, Cedric Coward, to the Summer League, too. That allowed him and Boozer to build some chemistry together before the start of the season. That should pay quick dividends.
Boozer wasn't the only former Duke star to land on one of the two All Summer League teams, either.
Suns' second-year big man Khaman Maluach, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, had a breakout summer in Phoenix. He landed on the 2nd Team, and he had a strong case to make the first team. He averaged 19.5 points and a Las Vegas-best 12.8 rebounds per game.
While Boozer is ready to take the NBA by storm as a rookie, Maluach looks like he's ready for a significant leap in his sophomore campaign.
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