Duke Blue Devils' freshman phenom Cameron Boozer gets major disrespect in new NBA mock draft

Billy Heyen

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Duke Blue Devils' freshman phenom Cameron Boozer gets major disrespect in new NBA mock draft image

Cameron Boozer has been utterly dominant as a freshman for the Duke Blue Devils, as expected.

Among the major freshmen in his class, Boozer was viewed as the most polished and ready to just take over college games with smooth, strong consistency, and that's exactly what he's doing.

Most publications have viewed Boozer as a top-three NBA Draft pick for 2026 from the moment he arrived on campus.

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The Athletic's latest big board, for example, ranks Boozer at No. 2.

One publication, though, Field of 68: They've got Boozer No. 5.

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One might say, well, that's not that disrespectful.

And maybe it turns out to be right.

But right now, it's quite off the board from the norm.

Nate Ament of Tennessee has looked off the pace to start his college career. Mikel Brown has been inefficient. AJ Dybantsa hasn't looked like he will be even a decent passer. Darryn Peterson has been injured.

It's hard to arrive at Boozer as the No. 5 guy for an NBA future among this freshman class. 

Maybe his ceiling isn't quite as high as a couple of the others, but it feels like his floor dwarfs their floors by a lot. 

Time will tell, but it's a curious choice at this point.

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Staff Writer