As the pre-draft process continues to accelerate, it's becoming increasingly clear that draftniks on social media are not the ones making decisions in NBA front offices, and that Duke superstar forward Cameron Boozer should be taken a lot more seriously as a legitimate candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick.
Boozer is an analytical darling, and put together one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball history on his way to winning the National Player of the Year and leading Duke to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Draft Express' Jonathan Givony has been loudly banging the drum for weeks now about Boozer being a candidate at the top of the draft, despite most experts projecting him at No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, behind AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
While he remains No, 3 on ESPN's big board, the high-end and low-end player comps for Boozer by Jeremy Woo and Tim Bontemps make it obvious that Boozer is being undervalued as a potential No. 1 pick candidate.
ESPN's comparisons for Boozer:
High-End: Kevin Love with more ball skills
Low-End: Domantas Sabonis with more 3-point shooting
ESPN's Jeremy Woo admits that there's no perfect Cameron Boozer comparison
What makes Boozer such an intriguing option at the top of the draft is that there isn't a perfect comparison for him. He's a unique talent, one who blends the best of multiple prospects.
"There's really no perfect Boozer comparison. His history of winning and incredible production suggest he is a unique player who breaks convention," Jeremy Woo writes for ESPN. ..."The difficulty of this comparison almost validates all the arguments for Boozer being the first pick."
Boozer's detractors have consistently pointed out his lack of athleticism as a knock against him, but that ignores so much of his game. He's already pretty polished as a prospect at just 18 years old, and he's still only scratched the surface of the player he can become. He's not purely a "bully ball" post player. You cannot ignore the fact that he shot 39.1% from three as a freshman at Duke, nor can you ignore his preternatural feel for the game and his court vision.
He's not merely going to be a "good" pro, though it's obvious to even his detractors that he's the safest prospect in this class. He has star potential, too, and should contribute to winning right away, regardless of which team drafts him. There's a reason Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti is enamored with him and is reportedly exploring potential opportunities to move up to snag the National Player of the Year.
Tim Bontemps pointed out in the same article that Boozer has also received comps to Al Horford, which could be an even more apt parallel if Boozer is the No. 3 overall pick. That's the same spot Horford found himself in during the 2007 NBA Draft.
Regardless of where Boozer ends up, it's going to be hilarious to look back at the narrative surrounding him in the lead-up to the draft five years from now when he's proven to be the best player in this class.
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