The Utah Jazz are currently "competing" for both to get a high lottery pick and keep it away from Oklahoma City. They are on track to avoid the worst-case scenario, but what hasn't been discussed enough is who they should take if they get the No. 1 pick? There's a compelling argument that it's Cameron Boozer.
Among those in Boozer's corner is his father and esteemed Jazz alum, Carlos Boozer. Carlos, who also works for the Jazz in their front office, explained to Andscape's Marc J. Spears why whoever has the chance to draft Cameron should not have second thoughts about doing so.
“You look at what Tim Duncan did. I’m not comparing Cameron to Tim Duncan, but he was another guy that wasn’t [athletically] a Kevin Garnett or a Tracy McGrady or a Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal. But you know what he did? He won five championships in that era [against] those players — the Kobes and the Shaqs, because of his IQ, because of his skill set, and because his team would follow him.
“That is who Cameron is. He’s a modern-day version of that. People are going to follow him because of what he gives to the team and what he gives to the game. That translates into winning. So. if you want to win, you pick Cameron. And I’m going to tell you this: The GMs that don’t pick Cam, they’re going to regret that 15 years from now.”
“If you want to win, you pick Cameron (Boozer). And I’m going to tell you this: The GMs that don’t pick Cam, they’re going to regret that 15 years from now,” two-time #NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer to @andscape to NBA GMs about his Duke star son. https://t.co/kWgM150ROh
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 18, 2026
Boozer may be the key to the Jazz building a contender the right way
If Utah wins the lottery and pick Boozer at No. 1, he'll be added to a team that already has well-established stars like Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. to go with a few up-and-comers like Keyonte George and Ace Bailey.
Utah wants to form a consistent winner that rivals the Karl Malone/John Stockton era, if not exceeds it. In the modern NBA, that's actually tougher to do with the cap constraints. As his father alludes to by comparing him to Duncan, he believes Cameron will be a player whose career will span well over 10 years, where he'd not only make his team a contender immediately, but for a while.
That's the kind of franchise centerpiece any rebuilding team like the Jazz would want. Not just someone who has the talent to be an all-timer, but one that has the durability to play at an elite level for years.
Utah's seen that before with players like Malone and Stockton. They may not have gotten them a title, but Jazz fans who were born even after their time ended know who they are for a good reason. We shouldn't set that bar for Boozer until the Jazz actually get him and see how he does, but by the way Carlos is hyping up his own son, it's hard not to buy what he's selling.