Cam Boozer is an Offensive Mastermind
- Ryan McCrary
- Jul 18
- 5 min read
Leading up to this year’s NBA Draft, Cam Boozer was widely viewed as a lesser prospect than AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. He had a lot of supporters, of course, but many fans and analysts had him ranked No. 3 or No. 4 on their big boards because they didn’t think he had a ton of upside.
However, I think Boozer has absolutely destroyed these assumptions during the Summer League, as he’s torched opposing defenses with his versatile shooting, strong driving from the perimeter, and absurd playmaking. We’ll break down all of this today as I attempt to prove that Cam Boozer has a much higher ceiling on offense than everyone realizes.
A big reason why Cam Boozer has been underrated by many people is that he's not a high-volume scorer like some of the other players in the class. However, I think he's been awesome at putting the ball in the basket during the Summer League. Across five games, he averaged 24 PTS/36 minutes on 65.8% TS%, an incredible combination of scoring volume and efficiency.
A big reason for his scoring dominance is that he shot the cover off the ball from behind the arc, and we'll get into this in just a bit. However, I want to start by talking about his rim finishing and mid-range shot creation.
To be fair, Boozer's Summer League rim finishing numbers weren't great as he shot 64.3% at the rim with 45.9% of his shots coming at the basket. These are above-average marks, but nothing special. Boozer's rim finishing wasn't elite at Duke either, but he had some really encouraging rim finishes over the last couple of weeks.
On this play against the Bulls, Boozer is handling the ball on the right wing, and he gets a screen from his teammate. He leads his defender into the screen before dribbling in the opposite direction, and he attacks the basket aggressively, avoids getting the ball stripped, and finishes the layup.
Here, Boozer is operating off-ball, and the Grizzlies run a cool play to get him open. They place their two bigs at the top of the key like they are setting double screens for the wing to get open on the perimeter. Boozer goes to the left after the wing gets to his spot, and Boozer's defender is out of position. Once he catches the ball, he immediately drives toward the basket and uses a nice gather to keep the ball away from the defender, giving him a wide-open shot at the rim.
These two finishes highlight Boozer's versatility as a scorer, particularly the different play types in which he can be utilized. If he can be effective as a driver in the NBA at his size, he can be incredibly difficult to defend.
On top of being a decent rim finisher, Boozer displayed impressive shot creation from mid-range during the Summer League. I don't have his mid-range shooting numbers, but he had some awesome self-created shots on tape.
Here, Boozer is being defended by Aday Mara, one of the better defensive prospects in the 2027 NBA Draft. He takes Mara off the dribble and gets into the paint. He isn't able to get to the basket, but he uses Mara's momentum against him, stopping on a dime and spinning into a fadeaway mid-range jumper.
Here's another play from the Thunder game. Boozer drives toward the basket off the dribble, and a second defender rotates to help protect the paint. This cuts off Boozer's drive, but he does a little side step into an off-the-dribble mid-range jumper.
Boozer didn't utilize the mid-range very often in college, so I'm excited to see if this becomes a bigger part of his shot diet in the NBA. This would give him a valuable scoring counter for when his lack of athleticism prevents him from getting to the rim.
As I mentioned earlier, the biggest reason why Boozer scored so well during the Summer League is that he was on fire shooting threes. He shot 45% from behind the arc on 5.4 attempts per 36 minutes while showing that he can shoot from distance both off the catch and off the dribble.
This is a nice play from Boozer in transition. He catches a pass near the corner and shoots the ball with no hesitation, draining the shot.
On this play, the Mavericks' defense falls asleep, giving too much attention to the ball handler. This leaves Boozer open in the corner, and the ball handler sees this, so he swings the ball to Boozer, who hits the three.
Boozer's off-the-dribble shooting blew me away during the Summer League, and he're is an example of that. Boozer gets a screen at the top of the key, and after coming off of the screen, he hits the Jazz with a snatchback as they scramble to get back in position. This move creates a lot of separation, and Boozer drains the shot.
This play showcases Boozer's extreme comfort shooting off the dribble. Right after catching the pass at the top of the key, he takes one dribble to the right, then dribbles between his legs before shooting the three. Guys this size should not be doing this.
Boozer's scoring was very impressive the last few weeks, but his highs as a passer were just as good. He had an assist rate of 21.5% while carrying a usage rate of 25.27%. His 0.9 AST/USG was quite good for his position. His passing tape was phenomenal during the summer league as he showcased quick decision-making and an ability to make accurate passes across the court.
Here, Boozer sets a screen for the ball handler, then rolls toward the basket. The ball handler passes the ball to Boozer, who pump fakes around the basket before dropping the ball off to his teammate under the basket, who scores on a layup.
On this play, the Grizzlies player on the right wing moves back to try and create space to catch a pass. However, his defender is glued to him, so he moves toward the basket to create space for a layup. This works perfectly, and Boozer sees his teammate get open right away. He throws the ball accurately with great touch, and his teammate scores.
Wanna see some quick decision-making? Watch this play. Here, Boozer catches the ball with his back to the basket, but he sees that the defender on the other side of the floor has now rotated to offer resistance if Boozer gets into the paint. Boozer sees this right away and delivers a beautiful pass across the court into the opposite corner for a three.
As good as his court vision and passing execution were, Boozer did struggle to protect the ball. He turned the ball over 3.0 times per game and had a turnover rate of 18.2%. This is why his AST/TO was just 1.2. This is something I want to see Boozer clean up moving forward if he is to become a legitimate offensive engine.
Even with this in mind, he was still a fantastic offensive player in these games, sporting a 121 ORtg and adding an estimated 7.9 points per 100 possessions based on how he impacted the Grizzlies' eFG%.
Cam Boozer may not put up a ton of points like AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, but he is still very effective offensively due to his playmaking, which is elite for his size and position, as well as his incredible scoring versatility.
I was thoroughly impressed by his performance during the Summer League, and after watching his tape and looking at his production, I feel very confident in his offensive projection, and I think he can be one of the better offensive jumbo wings in the league someday.
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