As the college basketball season quickly approaches, it’s never too early to start thinking about the NBA Draft. The 2026 draft class has three players in the mix for the top pick, including Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
Boozer is, of course, the son of longtime NBA player Carlos Boozer and is an intriguing archetype of a player. The Duke power forward is a bit of an undersized forward, listed at 6-foot-1, and he doesn’t have any athletic gifts.
Nevertheless, he is a versatile inside-out scorer and a hard-hitting rebounder with excellent game sense. When they hear this, Minnesota Timberwolves fans might think of Kevin Love. An undersized power forward who became a multiple All-Star in large part due to his versatility and feel for the game. Love is fondly remembered as one of the best Timberwolves of all time.
Draft guru Sam Vecenie notes similarities between Cameron Boozer and Kevin Love
During a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon discussed their first pilot from 2026. Boozer came in third, and when Vecenie discussed him, he mentioned some similarities to Love.
“It’s so similar to the way people questioned Kevin Love when he came in [the league] for me. And Kevin Love is this guy working on what year 20 in the NBA. Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player, was a real deal when he was in Minnesota, and clearly played a big role on that Cleveland title team. I think Cam Boozer is a stud.”
This comparison makes sense given both Boozer’s strengths and concerns. While not an explosive, top-tier athlete, Boozer makes up for it with his strength and IQ. It’s worth noting that Boozer, like Love, thrives in transition as both a scorer and passer.
Vecenie went on to say that it’s fair to wonder about Boozer’s upside, but he has a high floor. As a result, you could say Boozer wants to become more of a secondary star, which is what Love was with the Cavs. Moreover, with a high floor and with this playing style, it is possible that Boozer has a long career like Love. Judging players before they’ve played in college is tough, but Boozer’s early signs show shades of love.
Boozer is also a gifted inside scorer and pick-and-pop threat. We’ll have to see how this plays out with a full season of college ball, but in high school he was in the 93rd percentile in shooting at the rim and the 85th percentile in shooting from the catch. He has shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range from the catch over the last two seasons. In his prime, Love was one of the first true stretch bigs who also had impressive inside scoring.
Like Love, Boozer has a positive impact on the defense by being well positioned and constantly crashing the glass. Love averaged 12.2 rebounds during his six-year tenure with the Wolves, including a season in which he led the league in rebounds.
Again, seeing Boozer play a full college season is critical to evaluating him. Either way, at this point he expects to land in the top three, and his archetype has clear similarities to Love.
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