Welcome to Upside and Motor, a weekly NBA Draft column dedicated to analyzing the next wave of basketball stars, from blue blood sensations to those flying under the radar.
The 2026 NBA Draft class is trending toward a historically dominant top three. This is not news. Duke's Cam Boozer, Kansas' Darryn Peterson and BYU's AJ Dybantsa all made strong early impressions in preseason exhibitions. Just months after the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes came to a head, tanking NBA teams and their fans are faced with three prospects on that level. No, that's not hyperbole. And yes, Flagg is the second-best prospect of the 2020s.
It is far too early to declaratively state which of these prospects will rise to the top. There's a long season ahead. There's a good chance it ultimately comes down to which team lands No. 1 overall and their specific needs. But if you're looking for an early favorite, you can probably find solid arguments for all three. Peterson has been the No. 1 recruit in his high school class for a hot minute. Dybantsa is an alien masquerading as a human sportsman. And then there's Cam Boozer. This article is dedicated to explaining why the Duke forward is well-positioned to follow in Flagg's footsteps and emerge, in due time, as the top pick in next year's draft.
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided's daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend. If you hate it, share it with an enemy!
Cam Boozer has our attention after 24-point, 23-rebound performance against Tennessee
Boozer put on a show in his second exhibition performance with the Blue Devils, dropping 24 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal. He only committed one turnover and hit 9-of-11 free throws, if only 7-of-20 shot attempts from the field.
The highlights are robust.
There will be a contingent of folks whose response is "7-of-20 shooting???" but it's best not to get hung up on an outlier shooting night, especially when Boozer is bulldozing his way to the free throw line so effortlessly. And when he's impacting the game in so many ways beyond the box score. We've already seen Peterson and Dybantsa light up quality opponents, so it's not like Boozer is alone in his early excellence. But when attempting to define the "best" of a remarkable class, Boozer has a few traits that make him stand out.
Let's start with the obvious: he's 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, with a 7-foot wingspan. In today's league, so much emphasis is placed on versatility. And yet so few rookies actually enter the league prepared to defend multiple positions and execute a wide variety of defensive assignments. Even fewer can handle the rigors of a high-volume role on offense. Boozer will be 18 on draft night, but physically he will be right on par with players a decade older than him.
Boozer's solid base is complemented by his incredible brain. We only get a handful of genius-level prospects, and most of them are point guards. Boozer is a bruising power forward who happens to be drawing comparisons to Tim Duncan and Nikola Jokić. We should probably pump those breaks a little bit, as Boozer still hasn't recorded a single collegiate minute, but it's uncommon to watch an interior monster process the game at such a high level, especially this early in his developmental arc.
This has been the norm with Boozer, too. He has more high school accolades than just about every draft peer. You can only gleam so much from high school competition, but Boozer is not only a different animal physically. He's more mature, more polished, more proactive on the floor. He has incredible anticipatory skills on both ends.
Want to see something cool? Here's Boozer doing his best Dwight Howard impression, tracking a drive and snatching a "block" right out of the ill-fated Tennessee player's hand.
Look at this block from Cam Boozer!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 27, 2025
He also had 24 PTS, 23 REB, 6 AST!!! @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/SqjsBWbYvs
Tim Duncan was commonly referred to as 'The Big Fundamental.' He wasn't the sexiest star. He didn't make the flashy plays. He just systematically destroyed his opponents on both ends. He exhibited perfect defensive timing. His footwork on the block was beyond reproach, with moves and countermoves to account for every matchup or defensive tactic. It would take a lot for Boozer to earn comps to the greatest power forward of all time. He does not need to reach that level to earn the No. 1 overall spot on draft boards. But when there are even cursory similarities to be noted between an 18-year-old and the five-time NBA champ, that is cause for excitement.
Boozer is going to absolutely demoralize opponents as a help-side shot blocker and overall defensive playmaker. On the other end of the floor, don't expect too many 7-of-20 shooting nights, to be frank. Boozer can splash pull-up 3s, deploy smooth face-up moves, or punish mismatches in the post. He's not the most explosive athlete, but Boozer uses his strength to create driving angles and absorb contact on the interior. He can mix speeds as a ball-handler, going slo-mo to get his man off balance before dropping his shoulder and plowing to the rim.
What makes Boozer a clear 1A, however, is the passing. He's can facilitate from the elbow in the Al Horford/Draymond Green vein, or take a more front-and-center approach, leveraging the gravitational pull of his drives before swinging it to open teammates on the perimeter. Boozer is great at kickstarting transition possessions, too, grabbing the rebound and rifling a hit-ahead pass to a sprinting teammate. Surround Boozer with athletes who run, and the results will follow. Put shooters around him, and results will follow.
The rebounding almost feels secondary at this point, but clearly Boozer's strength, athleticism and anticipation help him to clean up the glass as well. That leads to transition offense. It ends possessions on defense. There is a lot of value in an elite rebounder, especially when Boozer can exert effort in that department without slacking in others.
Duke is going to be an absolute buzzsaw this season. While Boozer won't have a Kon Knueppel-level sidekick like Flagg did, the depth of talent on this Blue Devils roster laps the majority of opponents around the nation. It helps that Boozer is engineered to dominate the college landscape. Don't be shocked if he replaces Flagg as the best freshman in college basketball, with potential to become the fifth freshman to win the Wooden Award. He would join Flagg, Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant in that exclusive club. Boozer should expect competition, of course, from Peterson and Dybantsa, not to mention star upperclassmen like Braden Smith and Yaxel Lendeborg. But if you desire a hard-line prediction for the best freshman (and ultimately, the No. 1 pick), Boozer's IQ, polish and physicality gives him the edge.
First impressions on 2025 lottery picks
The 2025 NBA Draft class is off to a rollicking start. Here are quick first impressions on every lottery pick so far.
1. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Dallas threw him into the deep end as a starting point guard. He was awful in game one. In game three, but joined Kobe Bryant as the only 18-year-olds with 20-plus points, four-plus assists and zero turnovers in a game. Flagg learned quickly at Duke and he's doing the same in Dallas. Special player.
2. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Harper dropped a cool 20 points, six rebounds and eight assists with zero turnovers (off the bench) on Sunday. Even against the Nets, that's special. He's going to feast in transition all season, put a ton of pressure on the rim and feed a lot of easy looks to Wemby. The Spurs are going places.
3. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Most points in a debut since Wilt Chamberlain. Third rookie ever with 45-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, 10-plus assists and five-plus stocks in their first two games, joining LeBron James and Magic Johnson. Scoring wasn't even Edgecombe's big selling point at Baylor. The man is good.
4. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Shooting the lights out (as expected) and just in complete command at all times. Knueppel plays decisively, often a step ahead of the competition, and is a much better defender than his Duke-era detractors would have you believe.
5. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
The Jazz are taking it slow. That's fine.
6. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Johnson gets buckets. It's why the Wizards picked him. The shooting was a given. If he can start pressuring the rim and creating for teammates, so much will open up to him.
7. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
The shooting and decision-making is a work in progress, as expected, but Fears is already slicing defenses up the middle and scoring in bunches at the rim or in the mid-range. New Orleans might not need to wait as long for Fears to blossom as initially expected.
8. Egor Dëmin, Brooklyn Nets
The did not attempt a 2-point field goal through three games. While Dëmin's sudden 3-point shooting acumen is a promising development, if he can't get downhill or pose any remote threat inside the arc, Brooklyn's going to have a tough time returning value on their No. 8 pick.
9. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
TBD. He's hurt. But this guy is special, just take it from me.
10. Khaman Maluach, Phoenix Suns
A quiet start for Maluach, which isn't shocking. He had his moments in preseason, however, and there will come a time in the not-so-distant future when Phoenix gives its rookie 7-footer an earnest opportunity.
11. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
A late bloomer and late pre-draft riser, Coward almost went back to school to join Cam Boozer at Duke. Instead, Memphis made him the 11th pick, and now it seems like the Grizzlies have uncovered another gem. Coward is drilling 3s, expertly deploying his pterodactyl wingspan on defense, and looking like a potential replacement for Desmond Bane.
12. Noa Essengue, Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are winning games and actually kind of deep, which means we probably won't see much of Essengue early in the campaign. But keep the faith.
13. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans
A certified dawg and an extremely likable human. Queen returned from injury sooner than expected and is already producing for New Orleans, bruising his way to points in the paint and showcasing noticeable growth as a defender.
14. Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
Bryant is on garbage time duty for the Spurs right now, but after a strong Summer League and preseason, don't be shocked if he works his way up the totem pole sooner than later.