Cameron Boozer helped his Duke squad to an 80-71 win over Arkansas in the United Center in Chicago on Thanksgiving night. The Blue Devils are currently unbeaten with eight wins in a row. Meanwhile, many are already considering Boozer to be the best player in college basketball.
Boozer arrived in Durham after one of the most celebrated high school basketball careers ever, and he is carrying that momentum into his Duke tenure. In Duke’s win over Arkansas, he recorded 35 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Analyst Breaks Down Cameron Boozer’s Readiness for the Next Level
On this week’s episode of the “Locked on College Basketball” podcast, sports analyst Andy Patton had heavy praise for Boozer’s caliber.
“It’s too early to crown him like the best Duke freshman ever or anything like that,” Patton said (18:10). “But he is well on his way to putting together an all-time season for a very very good Duke team, a team that we had some concerns about their point guard play but as long as somebody can get Cam the ball, they’re going to be fine.”
“He can make passes. He can play the four. He can play the three. He’s versatile and he’s good defensively, too. He’s not a a world beater on that end. Like he’s not a future NBA defensive player of the year candidate or anything, but he is a very good defensive player who is more than capable of holding his own at this level and at the next level.”
Boozer swept this week’s ACC honors, earning the conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week award for the second time. He also won the Rookie of the Week award for the third time. Through eight games, he is averaging 22.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
Boozer has already made Duke history as the first rookie to record multiple 35-point games. Some argue that these stats still don’t fully capture the high basketball IQ and court feel he displays every second he is playing. His magnificent performance has also led to comparisons with other elite basketball talents.
“In a year where there’s so much attention on DP, even though he’s been hurt, and there’s been so much attention on AJ Dybantsa, and for good reason,” Patton added. “And then you have other freshmen popping…Caleb Wilson’s been incredible for North Carolina… Kingston Flemings, we talked about him.”
“And then there’s the other guys, Nate Ament, Mikel Browns jr., who have all been solid as well. But my goodness, Cam Boozer looks like a guy who could be given an NBA team 20 and 10 right now.”
All eyes will be on Boozer once again on Tuesday night as Duke hosts No. 15 Florida at Cameron Indoor Stadium.