Cameron Boozer isn’t wasting any time shrinking the spotlight that comes with being the No. 3 pick. Less than a week into his NBA life, he’s already talking like a player who expects Memphis to turn heads fast.
On The Chris Vernon Show, Boozer pushed back on the idea that the Grizzlies are stuck in a long rebuild. He made it clear he thinks the team is closer than people think.
"We are a team who is going to really surprise people this year," Boozer said on The Chris Vernon Show. "We are going to be shockingly good to people. I think people don't really understand that, just because obviously it was kind of a rebuild, but you look at the players we have, the roster who we are bringing in this year, and I think we are going to have something pretty special."
That kind of confidence fits Boozer’s track record. He’s been winning at every level he’s played, and he’s not walking into Memphis with any interest in easing his way in. The NBA will be a different test, but Boozer clearly sees a team that can make noise right away.
There’s at least a real case for optimism around the roster, too. Boozer joining Zach Edey gives Memphis a frontcourt that could be a problem for opponents from day one.
Cedric Coward, entering his second year, has a chance to keep climbing and become one of the better two-way wings in the Western Conference. Ty Jerome’s breakout season included nearly 20 points per game, and Walter Clayton Jr. arrived in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade with the Utah Jazz.
The biggest question hanging over all of it is Ja Morant. Memphis is still trying to find a trade partner for the embattled guard, whose value has dropped from where it once was. There’s growing optimism that a deal could get done as soon as this week, which would let the Grizzlies move fully into the next phase with Boozer and a young core that suddenly looks a lot more interesting.
That doesn’t make Memphis a West contender overnight. Boozer alone won’t do that. But if the pieces fit the way he thinks they will, the Grizzlies may not be waiting long to make a real run at the playoffs.
In Other News...
Grayson Allen Is Heading Back To North Carolina Again
Grayson Allen is headed back to North Carolina, and the move gives the Hornets another veteran piece as they continue reshaping the roster after their recent Play-In Tournament appearance. For Allen, it also means another chapter in a career that has taken him through Utah, Memphis, Milwaukee and Phoenix, with Charlotte now becoming his latest stop as he prepares for his ninth NBA season.
The fit is easy to see from the Hornets side, since they are still sorting out how to build around a more competitive core after pushing into the postseason picture. Allen brings experience and perimeter scoring, and his recent run in Phoenix showed he can still help a team when healthy. What Charlotte plans to do with the rest of the return package is part of the larger story, and that is where this deal gets even more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Signee Boumtje Boumtje Just Delivered A Team USA Breakthrough
Dukes 2026 recruiting class keeps looking more imposing by the week, and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is adding international hardware to the rsum before he ever reaches campus. The 5-star big man, who reclassified into the 2026 group, is part of Jon Scheyers nation-leading haul and has already shown why the Blue Devils are so high on his long-term upside.
At the FIBA U17 Men's World Cup, Boumtje Boumtje has helped Team USA open with two group-stage wins, giving the program a reliable interior presence while facing elite competition overseas. For Duke, the encouraging part is not just the production now but the way he is stacking meaningful minutes and responsibility ahead of what is expected to be a major role in Durham in 2026-27. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Just Turned Up The Heat On Dukes 2027 Guard Hunt
Jon Scheyers early work on the 2027 class is starting to look like a familiar Duke blueprint: identify elite guard talent before the bidding gets crowded, then keep stacking names with real staying power. Adan Diggs is the latest to land on that board, joining a short list of prospects the staff has already moved on, a reminder that Duke is not waiting around to see how the cycle settles before making its intentions clear.
Diggs comes with the kind of profile that naturally draws attention from a program built around perimeter creation and versatility, and his standing among the top young guards in the country only raises the stakes. The bigger question now is whether Duke can turn an early push into real traction, because the Blue Devils are hardly the only heavyweight circling this recruitment, and Scheyers next move will matter as much as the offer itself. [Read more 🡒]