The Master wrote:Second, these guys like Randolph or Boozer weren't impactful passers, 3pt shooters, nor good perimeter defenders. They were pretty good as rollers / mid-range shooters for their era and an inefficient way of playing basketball/ iso scorers in an era of traditional two-big-men lineups and a relative lack of offensive talent.
Boozer Jr. has similar size, but he's also better as a perimeter defender, averages over 4 assists a game, can initiate his and his team's offense from the perimeter, averages almost five 3s a game so far, and has a decent projection as a shooter.
That's sort of where the Boozer/Randolph comparisons fall short though, right? Boozer looks like he has an innate feel for the game and his passing shows a level of awareness, court-awareness and anticipation which, as a prospect, provides him with both a floor and a ceiling where he could be an offensive centrepiece (to various degrees). Getting to a legitimate 1st option is incredibly difficult, just look at how lethargic someone like Paolo Banchero is in that regard.
As much as I agree that Boozer is overrated as a prospect (although I believe that he'll be a very good player) - he looks like a contemporary power forward, who shoots 3s and plays power forward-ish role. He may not be good enough as an athlete/offensive player to become a superstar, but it's fascinating to see him being compared to players like his dad or Zach Randolph on regular basis.
His problem isn't his playing style per se, but the fact that I don't see any singular superstar quality from him from long term projection perspective. Caleb Wilson looks like a defensive dream for any team with his portability and versatility, his athleticism is off the charts, and his offensive game is far more advanced than anyone anticipated. This is something I NEED to see from Boozer to have him near top3 next year.
Yeah, that's what likely prevents him from being Top 2 or whatever, but one would need to assess the entire draft and isolate the actual prospects who do possess a skill which could be extrapolated to becoming a super star.
FWIW, we have seen a resurgence of grounded players excel in the NBA in large part because the current NBA is so much based on IQ, Feel and Anticipation. It is entirely possible Cameron Boozer can replicate much of what Domantas Sabonis can do offensively as a bruiser with playmaking chops offensively but then Boozer clearly has far more defensive aptitude.
The totality of the skill-level and feel Boozer possesses is high for a prospect, and he should undoubtedly be a Top 5 pick in any draft, and I see this draft no different.
