Cameron Boozer didn’t leave Las Vegas with the NBA Summer League MVP trophy, but he may have come away with something just as useful: a believer in his own locker room.
Boozer put together a strong run for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game while helping push the team to the championship game, where Memphis fell to the Golden State Warriors. Even though Yaxel Lendeborg won MVP despite less impressive numbers, Boozer still landed on the All Summer League 1st Team for his work.
That kind of production was exactly what Duke fans expected, and it also started to shift some opinions. One of the most notable converts was GG Jackson, who had joked soon after Memphis drafted Boozer that the rookie would be doing plenty of screen-setting for him next season. After watching Boozer in Summer League, Jackson changed his tune.
"He's the goods. ... By the looks of it, we’re going to be setting each other screens, because he can do everything on the floor, Jackson said, via Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian.
For a veteran, or even a young player with some standing, it is never simple to watch a rookie arrive and immediately look like a centerpiece. There is usually some resistance. Boozer’s work in Las Vegas, though, gave Memphis a clear answer, and Jackson saw it quickly.
Boozer’s blue-collar approach and the way he goes after every possession are already making an impression, and that is expected to carry into Training Camp in Memphis. The rookie’s Summer League showing made the case without much debate.
Jackson, who is just 21 himself, is now the longest-tenured Grizzlies player left on the roster after a complete offseason overhaul in Memphis. The team is being rebuilt around Boozer, and Jackson has already bought in.
What Duke fans knew, Memphis is starting to learn: Boozer is the goods. He looks ready to reshape the culture right away, and the Grizzlies may end up being competitive sooner than people think, even if Boozer has to pull some teammates along with him.
In Other News...
Nick Morris Jr. Feels Central To Dukes 2026 Defensive Bet
Dukes 2026 outlook still comes with plenty of moving parts, especially on a roster that will mix transfers, returners and a few players still trying to carve out larger roles under Manny Diaz. Even with that uncertainty, the defense looks like the safest place to start when projecting where the Blue Devils can lean next season, and linebacker Nick Morris Jr. stands out as one of the few established pieces in the middle of it all.
Morris has already shown he can be a steady presence for Duke, and the program is treating him as a central figure in what could become a defining year for the unit. Entering his graduate season, he is being viewed as a player with real career-year potential, which only adds to the importance of what he brings to a defense that may end up carrying a lot of the load in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Darian Mensah Just Took A Public Shot Duke Fans Will Hate
Darian Mensahs departure has quickly turned into more than a routine quarterback transfer for Duke, because the discussion around it now includes how he felt inside the program before he ever left. Mensah said the public nature of his NIL earnings made his time at Duke uncomfortable, and that his situation created friction in a locker room that was supposed to be focused on football.
The story has only gotten messier from there, with other Duke players disputing Mensahs version of the team environment. For a program trying to move forward, that kind of public disagreement is the part that lingers, because it turns a transfer decision into a debate about what the culture actually looked like behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Just Lost One Of Its Biggest December Showdowns
One of Dukes biggest nonconference dates for next season has been knocked off the board, and the ripple effect stretches well beyond a single marquee matchup. The Blue Devils were slated to meet Michigan on Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden, a game that would have carried plenty of national interest and given Duke another high-profile test before league play ramps up.
Instead, the showdown has unraveled amid a broadcast rights dispute tied to Dukes new Amazon agreement and the existing contracts around Michigan, the Big Ten and Fox. The game had even been eyed for a move to LoanDepot Park in Miami before that option fell through, leaving Duke to pivot to Texas Tech on that date while Michigan now has to scramble for a replacement on its nonconference schedule. [Read more 🡒]