It came as absolutely no shock to Duke supporters when Cameron Boozer stole the spotlight in Las Vegas at the NBA’s Summer League. From the very first tip, he carried himself like a seasoned veteran, and that figures to remain the case once the actual season tips off in a couple of months.
Boozer stands as the clear frontrunner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year crown, and his Vegas performance made it perfectly clear why.
He also appeared destined to claim Summer League MVP, but the Grizzlies fell just short of the Warriors in the championship matchup, which cost him that honor. Not that he lost any sleep over it he made it clear he didn’t want the award anyway after dropping the title game.
Boozer did earn a spot on the All-Summer League First Team, though the MVP trophy ultimately went to Yaxel Lendeborg.
Cameron Boozer falls short of Summer League MVP
Boozer’s numbers were certainly MVP-caliber, posting 18.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest. If Memphis had managed to close out Golden State, the award would have been his.
That individual honor meant little to him, however. What stung far more was the Grizzlies coming up empty in the championship round.
Still, his summer showing and Memphis’s run to the finals offer a clear preview of what the Grizzlies are getting with the third overall selection. He’s going to bring a winning mindset along with him into the regular season.
Memphis made a shrewd move by also sending last year’s lottery pick, Cedric Coward, to Summer League, giving him and Boozer a chance to develop on-court rapport ahead of the season. That chemistry ought to pay off quickly.
Boozer wasn’t the only former Duke standout to earn All-Summer League recognition, either.
Suns sophomore big man Khaman Maluach selected 10th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft broke out in Phoenix this summer and landed on the Second Team, with a legitimate argument for First Team consideration. He put up 19.5 points and a Las Vegas-best 12.8 rebounds per game.
While Boozer is primed to make an immediate impact as a rookie, Maluach appears poised for a notable leap in his second year.
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