Cameron Boozer is set to begin his first March Madness journey with the 2026 ACC champion Duke Blue Devils on Thursday evening as the East Region’s No. 1 seed against the Siena College Saints.
A unanimous First-Team AP All-American selection and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Boozer’s journey as a basketball player has been met with heaps of praise and accolades, but also a few interesting critiques.
After averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds (led ACC) and 4.2 assists on a fantastic 66.0% true shooting percentage as a freshman, it appears as though Boozer’s detractors still believe his outside shot-making should improve, a premise the 18-year-old phenom quickly dismissed during an interview with Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.
“First of all, whoever says my three-point shot needs to improve clearly just didn’t watch me,” Boozer told O’Connor on Tuesday morning.
“My senior year (of high school) I shot 47% from three. Right now I’m shooting 40% from three, so that would just be incorrect.”
It’s easy to see how much pride Boozer takes in his three-point productivity, as his goal is to be known as far more than just a game-breaking force in the painted area and on the boards. In this instance, he had the receipts ready for anyone willing to deny his jump-shooting skill.
The do-it-all 6-foot-9, 250-pound future lottery pick connected on 40.9% of his 3.7 three-point attempts with Duke this past season, proving to be a reliable catch-and-shoot option on solid volume.
Part of the reason why Boozer has remained a projected top-3 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft is his consistency from all areas of the floor and overall connectivity as an offensive player.
When considering the fact that he led the nation in offensive win shares (6.3), defensive win shares (3.2) and was tops in the ACC in defensive rating per 100 possessions (91.5), also being able to hit well above 40% of his long-range looks will surely skyrocket a prospect of his caliber to the top of every mock draft on the internet.
Criticism of Boozer’s three-point shot hasn’t made sense since his senior year at Columbus High School in Westchester, Florida, and it remains dumbfounding as he gets set to make his March Madness debut as a Blue Devil.
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