Cam Boozer didn’t just arrive in the NBA ready to play. He showed up and started rewriting the record book.
The Memphis Grizzlies had plenty of reasons to believe the rookie forward would help right away. They took Cameron Boozer No. 3 overall after he won National Player of the Year in college last season, and his NBA-ready body made him look like one of the safest bets in the draft. As the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, he came into the league with plenty of attention already attached to his name.
Now he’s giving Memphis even more to celebrate. The Grizzlies are 5-0, and Boozer has been right in the middle of it while setting marks that put him alongside some of the biggest names in basketball.
Boozer logged a triple-double in only his fifth career game, a pace matched only by Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. He also became the youngest forward in NBA history to record a triple-double, taking that distinction from LeBron James.
That’s the kind of company that makes people stop and look twice.
There are obvious reasons the James comparison gets tossed around. Boozer doesn’t bring LeBron’s level of athletic explosion, but he does share something that matters just as much early in a career: elite processing.
He sees the game quickly, and he already has the body to handle NBA contact. That combination can make a rookie useful from day one, and Boozer has been exactly that.
Memphis has beaten Golden State, Utah twice, and Portland during this 5-0 start, and the wins have come against teams in the Western Conference Play-In race. The bigger story, though, is how much better the whole rotation looks.
Boozer’s passing, screens, kickouts, and work on the glass have all fed into that. He isn’t just producing; he’s helping teammates play better, too.
That’s another trait he shares with LeBron James. James was always more than a scorer or highlight machine - he lifted the players around him. Boozer may not be flying in for transition dunks the way young LeBron did, but he can still shape a game in a way that makes everyone else around him look sharper.
And James isn’t the only legend Boozer is tracking. He’s only the second rookie in NBA history to start 5-0 as a dominant frontcourt player while averaging 15 and 10, joining Hakeem Olajuwon. No teenage rookie has ever led his team to a 5-0 start.
Some records come with an asterisk because the league changes and the style of play changes. This doesn’t feel like that. Boozer’s start looks like the real thing.
Will he become LeBron James? Almost certainly not. LeBron has had the greatest career in NBA history.
But can Boozer become a superstar? Can he be the best player on a contender, earn MVP votes, and stack All-NBA seasons for years? Absolutely.
He’s already looking like a star. And if this start is any indication, LeBron James has reason to notice.
In Other News...
Kings Desperately Need A Break As Injury Questions Loom In Memphis
The Kings head into Saturdays stop in Memphis still searching for their first win, and the trip is only getting tougher. Sacramento is 0-5 and already short-handed, with four key players unavailable, leaving the roster thin as it tries to steady itself against an undefeated Grizzlies team that has looked far more settled through the opening stretch.
Memphis, though, is dealing with a little uncertainty of its own. The Grizzlies listed Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. as questionable for the 5:00 p.m. PT tip, so the final injury report could still shape how much pressure Sacramento faces on the road. Even with that uncertainty, this feels like another early-season test the Kings can ill afford to let slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Face A Bigger Concern Than Sacramento Before Key Test
The Grizzlies could be walking into their matchup with Sacramento short-handed in the backcourt and up front, with Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. both listed as questionable and Quinten Post doubtful. Jerome is dealing with upper back soreness, Pippen with lower back soreness, and Post with a right ankle sprain, leaving Memphis to sort through its rotation closer to tipoff.
That uncertainty matters because Jerome has been one of Memphis most important offensive engines, and the Kings are already a familiar opponent after the earlier win over Sacramento. If the Grizzlies are forced to navigate this one without multiple regular contributors, the focus shifts from just getting another result to managing the lineup well enough to stay on track in a key early test. [Read more 🡒]
Cedric Coward Is Giving The Grizzlies A Breakout They Didn't Expect
Cedric Coward has become one of the more unexpected bright spots in Memphis this season, giving the Grizzlies valuable production in areas that usually take guards a while to master. His shooting has been especially eye-catching, with a level of efficiency that has helped stretch defenses, while his work on the glass has added a little extra stability to a team that can use every possession it can get.
What makes Coward stand out is how complete the contribution has been. The improved catch-and-shoot touch has made him a cleaner fit in the offense, and the rebounding effort has given Memphis more help on the defensive end from a spot on the floor where that kind of impact is not always common. For a Grizzlies team looking for reliable two-way support, he has already made himself hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]