The consensus ever since the Utah Jazz got the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is that they will take whoever is available, either AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. Another option that has been floated is Cameron Boozer. If the Jazz take him, the rationalization might not be that he's better than Dybantsa or Peterson, but that he makes Utah more dangerous as a team.
Sports Illustrated's Art Cummings illustrated (no pun intended) a very good point that when the Jazz have run lineups with three bigs, they have typically been harder to stop. Given that Boozer is considered maybe the most NBA-ready of a loaded class's prospects, he could continue to make dangerous lineup even moreso if they can play it the entire game.
(Feel free to click on the tweet itself as it's a long post)
If the Jazz want to maximize Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler we should heavily consider drafting Cam Boozer.
— Art Cummings (@ArtTakesNote) May 16, 2026
Lauri and Kessler playing together in three-big lineups with a big who is an above average passer and can handle the ball has worked extremely well.
These lineups in… pic.twitter.com/87rulA4lsA
This was harped on back when Walker Kessler was playing, but Utah played excellent basketball when he, Lauri Markkanen, and Kyle Filipowski were paired together. That was primarily because Utah had three high-IQ bigs who had some positional overlap but whose skillsets also meshed well with each other.
Imagine adding Boozer and Jaren Jackson Jr. to that equation. It gives Utah so many frontcourt combinations that could work against every NBA team. Would the frontcourt be extremely loaded? Yes, but it would make an edge the Jazz already have, well, even edgier.
Utah probably won't take Boozer, but if they do, it wouldn't be that crazy
The biggest reason why it's such a big deal that Utah was runner-up in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is because there are quite a few game-changing prospects in this year's class. That means, no matter what, the Jazz can't screw this up.
It will definitely raise eyebrows if they take Boozer should Dybantsa or Peterson still be on the table, but he is a talented enough prospect that, along with the destructive lineups he could form in Utah, fans should be excited for what he brings.
It doesn't mean they will take him at No. 2., but it's not like picking him will be like taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. It wouldn't even be close. Not to mention, knowing his father's ties to the Jazz, Boozer may have extra motivation to prove he was the right guy for the team.
The overall point is, it would be shocking if the Jazz took Boozer, but it shouldn't be too upsetting if they do.
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