Cameron Boozer Thinks the Wizards Will Regret Passing on Him. Here’s Why He Might Be Right.

Cameron Boozer isn’t shy about where he thinks he belongs in the NBA Draft. And no, it’s not at No. 4.

The former Duke big man went on ESPN before the draft and made it clear he believes the Washington Wizards should take him first overall. Not AJ Dybantsa. Not Darryn Peterson. Him.

“Of course I feel that way,” Boozer said. “I’m not gonna say I don’t understand why people say that. Those two guys are good players, everyone knows that. For me, not being in that conversation, I don’t really understand it. And I think many years down the line, people are gonna look back and say that I should have been.”

That’s not just draft-night bravado. Boozer has the numbers to back the talk.

The Numbers That Stand Out

In his lone season at Duke, Boozer played 38 games and averaged 33 minutes a night. He put up 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals. His shooting splits were clean — 55.6 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three and 78.9 percent at the line.

Those are big-man numbers with guard-like efficiency. Scouts love that he can stretch the floor and still bang inside. The consensus has him as one of the most NBA-ready players in this class.

The Draft Board Isn’t Settled Yet

Most projections have Dybantsa going first to the Wizards and Peterson second. Boozer is expected to go no lower than fourth. There was chatter before the lottery that teams wanted to trade up specifically to grab him, and nobody thinks he falls past Memphis at No. 3.

But Boozer doesn’t care about the mock drafts. He wants the Wizards to make a different call on draft night.

“I should be the pick,” he said. Plain as that.

Look, the Wizards have a lot of holes. They need everything. Boozer gives them a proven scorer who can also pass and defend. He’s not a project. He’s a plug-and-play guy who could be a double-double machine from day one.

Dybantsa might have the higher ceiling. Peterson might have the flash. But if Boozer ends up being the best player from this draft class five years from now, nobody should be surprised. He already told everyone.