It's pretty much an undeniable fact that Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is the star of the show in Durham, leading the Blue Devils in just about every imaginable stat and pushing his team to its 19-1 start on the season.
However, his twin brother, Cayden, also deserves some attention, and certainly deserves a little. more respect than his passed his way.
While Cayden hasn't been playing to the same level as Cameron (nobody in the country has), he has been an integral piece in securing a handful of Duke's wins this season.
Cayden Boozer is an unsung star off the bench
Cayden has played in all 20 games this season, but has made just three starting appearances so far. Averaging 20.5 minutes (just over a half) per appearance, he has earned 6.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
His defensive numbers, despite not being extremely high (due in large part to his limited minutes), are better than most players could dream of, especially against the high-caliber programs Duke has faced so far this season.
Ben Pfeifer, a college basketball analyst who breaks down numbers just as well as anyone, recently shared some of the defensive stats coming from the best players in the country and compared them to players like Cayden.
Simply put, the outwardly less-popular Boozer brother deserves a lot of praise for how well he has performed on the defensive end of the court.
these are the 2026 NBA draft guards with a defensive projectable impact grade above average (relative to all positions) compared to the 66 prospects I have graded
— Ben Pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 22, 2026
boogie fland/cayden boozer deserve more defensive love (especially cayden) beyond the other 3 usual suspects pic.twitter.com/QJxyXGEq1E
Cayden's net grade on defense rings in at 54.90 points according to Pfeifer's scoring system. Meanwhile, Cameron's defense earned a 33.00 overall grade.
Other freshmen, like fellow Blue Devil Dame Sarr, have also performed significantly worse on the other end of the court. Sarr, who is also regarded as one of Duke's stars, earned a 16.50 offensive grade from Pfeifer. Cayden's grade on offense was 38.50.
No, Cayden won't be the No. 1 overall pick like his brother likely will be, but he still deserves a huge round of applause for the performances he has produced with the time he has been given, and it shouldn't come as a surprise if he hears his own name called during the 2026 NBA Draft, even as a benchwarmer.