Cayden Boozer Announces Return to Duke Ahead of Brother Cam's 2026 NBA Draft Decision

While the college basketball world awaits an NBA draft decision from top prospect Cameron Boozer, Duke at least knows one member of his family will be returning.

The Blue Devils announced Thursday that Cayden Boozer will return for a second season:

While Cameron Boozer is a potential top-three pick and was the Associated Press Player of the Year this past season, his brother is far from a consolation prize for the Blue Devils.

Cayden arrived at Duke as a 4-star prospect and the No. 20 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and brought the program plenty of playmaking in his first season.

He was named to the All-ACC Tournament Second Team while helping lead the team to a conference tournament crown with an elevated role thanks to injuries around him in the lineup. Most notably, he finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win over Virginia in the title game after scoring 16 points in the semifinals against Clemson.

The momentum didn't stop there, as the freshman guard scored 19 points in a first-round win over Siena in the first round of the NCAA men's tournament. That six-point Duke win was much closer than expected, and it is not a stretch to suggest the team would have been facing a stunning loss were it not for Boozer's production.

He also had a largely excellent game in the Elite Eight against UConn with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, but the performance and perhaps even his overall season will be overshadowed by a critical mistake.

UConn Huskies-Duke Blue Devils Highlights

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Boozer turned the ball over with Duke nursing a two-point lead in the final 10 seconds only for UConn's Braylon Mullins to drain the game-winning three. It was a shocking turn of events and prevented the Blue Devils from reaching the Final Four for a second straight season.

In all, Boozer averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field during his first season.

Now that he is returning with more experience, it would be anything but surprising if he assumes a larger role and puts up even better numbers in 2026-27.