Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick in June’s draft, helped the Grizzlies advance to the Las Vegas Summer League championship game.
Editor’s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.
LAS VEGAS — Cameron Boozer watched a lot of the New York Knicks during their run to their first NBA championship in more than 50 years.
He watched how they moved offensively. He observed how they shared the basketball and how they seemed to know where each other would be at all times. He eyed how they moved as a team defensively, consistently covering for each other. Most importantly, he took notice in how every player on their team possessed multiple skills.
Boozer, the Memphis Grizzlies’ rookie forward, spoke at length about the Knicks being a leader for positionless basketball. It’s part of what he wants to achieve as a professional. Boozer then went out and turned in one of the best summer-league performances from the 2026 draft class. Over a 10-day period, he averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He also averaged 1.8 steals, helping the Grizzlies reach the Las Vegas Summer League championship game, where they lost a narrow one to the Golden State Warriors.
Boozer gave everyone a glimpse into why he’s been a dominant figure in American basketball since early in his high-school days.
“Versatility is the name of the game. That’s what teams are looking for,” Boozer told The Athletic. “Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball. That’s what I feel like I can do best. I can screen. I can handle it. You can put me in a lot of different scenarios.”
Boozer, after a much-discussed pre-draft, ended up being the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, after AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, who went to the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, respectively. When asked if he should have gone No. 1, he calmly made eye contact and admitted that he felt like he should have at least been in that conversation. But he’s happy to make the matriculation to Memphis.
He will likely be a day-one starter in Memphis, which may not have happened in Washington or Utah. He and Cedric Coward, an NBA All-Rookie First Team player last season, will immediately take the reins of what will be a young roster. And the Grizzlies have talent. That run to the Las Vegas Summer League title game was not a fluke. Boozer’s ability to affect basketball games, combined with the talent Memphis had on its roster, unsurprisingly led to a dominant run through both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas summer leagues.
If Boozer’s game has shown anything, it’s the ability to translate every time he moves up a level. He was one of the most dominant high schoolers of this era, and he played at a level so high for so long that it became almost boring. He then led Duke to the Elite Eight in his lone year of college. He was named The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year, and he displayed a level of dominance rarely seen from a freshman at the collegiate level.
His maturation to the pro game, and to Memphis, will likely hold a key to where the Grizzlies go as a franchise. If Memphis is to return to prominence, Boozer’s development would be a big reason why.
The son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer is a franchise-level talent. Most agree to that. If — and when and how fast — the younger Boozer reaches that ceiling will likely tell a tale for Memphis as a whole.
“The NBA is for sure very different than college,” he said. “It’s going to be about growing up and figuring it out. But this has been a great transition for me. I have a great group of people around me, with my mother and my father and my family. There are great people in this (Grizzlies) organization, as well. So, it’s really been a great transition.
“I’ve been around the game for so long that it definitely helps. I feel like God has a plan for me, and I’m in Memphis for a reason. We can talk about the draft, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish. In 10 years, it’s not going to matter where I got drafted. It’s going to matter what I’m doing, and it’s going to be about what I can do to help teams win.”
To prepare for the NBA, Boozer worked on multiple areas. He’s tried to hone his jumper, which will be key in opening up his game inside the 3-point arc. He also lost 10 pounds because he wants to be able to chase defensively on the perimeter.
What became clear, at least at the summer-league level, is that Boozer’s strengths from high school and college will still be strengths going forward. Most talk about the force he plays with, combined with the skill and touch he has away from the basket. His passing, however, has been a real highlight. He dishes the ball like a point guard.
Add the fact that he’s a 6-foot-10 power forward who makes for a difficult matchup, as he can pick a team apart with things other than scoring. Because he can handle the ball like a guard, he consistently shows the ability to grab rebounds and lead transition opportunities on his own.
His weakness is his lack of vertical explosion around the rim. But he’s been able to carve out space on the interior and finish with efficiency in summer league. His ability to process what a defense is throwing at him is first-rate. And the Grizzlies simply were a better team in Las Vegas whenever he was on the floor.
Boozer scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists in a win over Caleb Wilson and the Chicago Bulls. He had 21 points and eight rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.
He adapted to different roles during the 10 days of Vegas, while playing in every game. When Memphis needed him to be aggressive, he went into the paint and created offense. When the Grizzlies needed him to make plays, he created for his teammates.
In a number of ways, the Knicks provided a blueprint for a championship that doesn’t involve having a heliocentric star. And Boozer projects to be the star who doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be effective. With his pro career in its infancy, he projects to be versatile and unselfish but impactful and dominant at the same time.
It’s why he became a top-three draft pick.
“I feel like you can play me at any of the frontcourt spots. It just depends on who is on the roster,” Boozer said. “But some of that doesn’t really matter. It’s about what teams can do. I saw the Knicks play Josh Hart at center at points during the playoffs, so it’s what you can do on the court that leads to wins. I thought we played solid. I still think I can be a lot better defensively. I just have to sharpen things up going forward.”
***
Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA. A native of the East Coast and a journalism brat as a child, he has an addiction to hip-hop music and pickup basketball, and his Twitter page has been used for occasional debates concerning Biggie and Tupac. You can follow Tony on X @Tjonesonthenba.
