Cameron Boozer declared for this year's NBA draft on Friday, announcing on social media that he is moving on after one season at Duke. The 6-foot-9 forward is already in the conversation to go first overall.
Boozer was a standout freshman and one of the biggest reasons Duke spent so much of the season looking like a team built around one player. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 boards and 4.1 assists in 38 appearances, finished tied for the NCAA lead with 22 double-doubles and ranked fourth in free-throw attempts with 280. He was also the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in one season since Larry Bird in 1976-77.
The numbers help explain why Boozer's season drew so much attention beyond Durham. He arrived as 's No. 3 overall recruit and the McDonald's All-American Co-MVP, then left with the Wooden Award as the nation's top overall player and the Karl Malone Award as the best power forward. For Duke, it was the kind of lone college season that can alter a program's path and a draft board at the same time.
Duke is also losing Isaiah Evans from last season's Elite Eight squad, a reminder that the Blue Devils will not look the same when they return. Dame Sarr and Cayden Boozer will be back for the 2026-27 campaign, but the immediate focus now shifts to how much of last season's production can be replaced and where Cameron Boozer lands when the draft begins to sort out the top of the board.