Cameron Boozer, Darius Acuff Jr. NBA Draft Stock Reportedly Debated by Scouts amid Defensive Issues
As college basketball's biggest stars look to bolster their NBA draft outlooks on the March Madness stage, defensive concerns are reportedly hampering two of the most notable names.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported on Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. and Duke forward Cameron Boozer and highlighted some of the issues regarding each after talking with NBA scouts and executives.
"Defense does matter in the NBA, which is why teams have some trepidation about Acuff," Vecenie wrote. "He's been bad on that end this season, and the Razorbacks' second-round win against High Point didn't assuage any concerns. Watching diminutive High Point guard Rob Martin repeatedly get by him or maintain his advantage in ball screens consistently was another eye-opener."
Such issues on defense, including his impact away from the ball, will put even more pressure on his offense if he is going to become an NBA star.
Fortunately for whichever team drafts him, he is a dominant offensive player. Acuff poured in 36 points to go with six assists in that win over High Point and has the ability to explode past defenders off the bounce, hit from the outside and facilitate when defenders collapse on him.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected the Arkansas star as the No. 6 overall pick in his most recent mock draft, which was four spots below Boozer at No. 2. BYU's AJ Dybantsa was No. 1, while Kansas' Darryn Peterson was No. 3.
Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer have been widely seen as the three most prominent college basketball players in draft discussions for much of the season, but the Duke product also comes with a set of concerns.
"It has become apparent that Boozer is a four-man who needs to play next to a legitimate five because of his lack of vertical athleticism," Vecenie wrote. "He struggles to protect the rim, which is why Duke's defense is drastically better when Patrick Ngongba is out there.
"… Boozer has also not been particularly good defending away from the rim, either. He's an excellent communicator and often acts as a back-line captain, but scouts have worries about his lateral footspeed and especially his ability to go north-south and change directions on defense."
If Boozer is going to struggle around the rim and on the perimeter, that leaves nowhere to hide in an NBA game. Teams will surely hunt him on pick-and-rolls and switches, and it could limit his overall ceiling, at least early in his career.
His offensive ability and prowess on the boards as a double-double machine still makes him worthy of an early pick, but he will have to improve on the defensive side if he is going to live up to the sky-high expectations that will be in place when he arrives in the NBA as a likely top-five pick.
