Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje reminds UNC once again he'll haunt the Heels with Duke

If Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is this good, it'll make everyone forget about what happened last season. And on top of that, it's only going to make things a bit worse for North Carolina and Michael Malone, as Duke's biggest rival was also once working to get JBB to commit.

Currently, The 7-footer is lighting it up at the NextGen Euroleague tournament, showing all the tools for Barcelona's u18 team that made him a five-star recruit. 

Boumtje Boumtje didn't want to wait around to get his game going, popping off for 20 points in the first half and hitting 5-of-6 on 3-pointers. After clearly making the point that he's the best player in the tournament, Boumtje-Boumtje slowed it down in the second half and finished with 24 points and six boards. Barcelona absolutely crushed Zalgiris Kaunas 110-80 and will face Team 3SSB in the semifinals after getting out of Group B with a 2-0 record.

Blue Devil fans aren't going to have to wait long for Boumtje Boumtje to have similar numbers in Cameron Indoor Stadium because he decided to reclassify to the 2026 class. Boumtje-Boumtje, whose father, Ruben, was a standout at Georgetown and eventually played a few years in the league, doesn't turn 17 for a couple more days (May 30). It's not hard to fathom Boumtje Boumtje holding up the national championship trophy at Ford Field in Detroit two months before he turns 18!

Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje is dominating NextGen EuroLeague

There's plenty of reason for Duke fans to be excited about this teenage front court of Boumtje Boumtje and fellow five-star recruit Cam Williams. Both players are 7-footers, and they complement each other extremely well. Boumtje Boumtje has amazing natural skill and shooting touch. His shot alone makes him a major threat every time he steps on the floor. While Williams doesn't have Boumtje Boumtje's developed skill, he makes up for it with high-level athleticism. He moves, he jumps, he's all over the court and not afraid to stick his nose in and get it dirty on the defensive end. If the Blue Devils are going to win a championship, both players will have to play a major role. 

Boumtje Boumtje has that great international experience. He's been playing at a high level against guys that are older than him for a while. Even though he's not where he needs to be in terms of his physical development, Boumtje Boumtje is such an offensive threat on the floor, he's been able to work around those limitations. He's going to dive into the weight room once he gets to Durham and I expect we'll see some major physical transformations quickly. The good news is that Boumtje Boumtje isn't eligible for the NBA Draft until 2028, so Jon Scheyer can take a more deliberate approach with his development and plan on how to build a team around him for the 2027-28 season.

But moving forward, enjoy watching Boumtje Boumtje continue to pour on the points at the NextGen EuroLeague tournament. This is an elite player, a future NBA lottery pick and All-Star accomplishing incredible feats at the age of 16. Scheyer is going to have a roster so deep and talented next season it's probably only rivaled by the more experienced group at Florida. And with JBB Durham-bound instead of playing in Chapel Hill, it makes things even sweeter for the Duke faithful.

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