The Utah Jazz will have a high lottery pick in this year's NBA Draft. And with that comes the ability to select a franchise-altering talent, regardless of position.
While Jazz fans have openly lobbied for local college star AJ Dybantsa or Kansas star Darryn Peterson, one other name will come into play should the Jazz pick in the Top Three this June, and it's fairly obvious to Jazz fans and Duke fans alike: Cameron Boozer.
Rumors already swirl that Dybantsa is the apple of the Jazz's eye, and that Peterson might be the best positional fit with the current roster. Yet those shouldn't prevent the Jazz from a long, hard look at Boozer during the pre-draft process.
At six-foot-nine and 250 pounds, he reminds some of his famous father, who played for the Jazz in the 2000's, but with outside range and a different skillset.
Looking at Carlos Boozer's college stats, he averaged 18 points, 8.7 boards, and 1.1 assists in his best and final year at Duke.
Cameron Boozer just finished a freshman season in which he averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 boards, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals, with shooting splits of 55/39/78.
He is a well-developed big man who was just named AP Men's Basketball College Player of the Year, only the fifth freshman in NCAA men's basketball history to do so. He led Duke to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
Not only was he better than his dad at a younger age, but it's also arguable that he's as good as Zion Williamson and Cooper Flagg were after their lone college seasons.
Cameron Boozer will turn 19 in July. He's less than a year younger than Ace Bailey, which would give the Jazz two young talents that could be the next franchise cornerstones.
It's a no brainer for the Jazz to take Cameron Boozer
Should the Utah Jazz end up with a top-three pick this June, or even first overall, they need to take Cameron Boozer. He's not going to have the worry about playing in Utah that other players have expressed over the years. His dad works for the team, and he was born in Salt Lake City.
There's few weaknesses in his game, and with a strong support system and develoopment, he could become a very good NBA player right away.
Looking further, should Boozer come in and be NBA-ready from the jump, the Jazz might be looking at moving other players and accelerating their contending window a year from now, especially if Ace Bailey continues his late-season surge into next season.
Think of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on Boston - they averaged 14.5 and 13.9 points respectively in their first year together, on a Celtics team with veterans Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier. By their third season together, they were averaging 20.3 and 23.4 points, respectively.
The Jazz, with Markkanen, Jackson Jr., Kessler, Keyonte George, and Isaiah Collier, have similar pieces already in place to surround Ace Bailey and Cameron Boozer and allow them to thrive without being 'the guy' immediately, a plan that Danny Ainge knows well, as he executed it in Boston with Tatum and Brown nearly a decade ago.
While it's far from certain that the Jazz will get a top-three pick, a future like this makes it worth hoping it happens.