Grizzlies' Cam Boozer Explains What 'I Can Do Best' After Evaluating Knicks' Championship Run
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cam Boozer followed the New York Knicks' championship run this summer and took some lessons to apply to his own game.
The No. 3 overall pick told The Athletic's Tony Jones he's prioritizing his individual versatility.
"That's what teams are looking for," he said. "Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball. That's what I feel like I can do best. I can screen. I can handle it. You can put me in a lot of different scenarios."
Boozer added he's confident he can occupy any of the three frontcourt spots depending on matchups and the other personnel on the floor.
The national player of the year averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals during his lone season at Duke.
The general impression of his game is that he should have a very high floor in the NBA but could lack the physical gifts to become an inner-circle elite star. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman compared him to Kevin Love, who's a five-time All-Star but was arguably the third-best player on the Cleveland Cavaliers during their 2016 NBA Finals triumph.
The early signs from Boozer are promising. He put up 18.5 points and 8.0 boards per contest in six NBA Summer League appearances, and he shot 33.3 percent from long range.
Jones pointed out how he "adapted to different roles" for the Grizzlies.
"When Memphis needed him to be aggressive, he went into the paint and created offense," Jones wrote. "When the Grizzlies needed him to make plays, he created for his teammates."
Becoming a scorer who can create his own shots along with a defender who guards multiple positions will put Boozer on a different level if he adds those dimensions to his game.
Memphis will certainly be encouraged by how much he understands the need to avoid limiting himself to a clear set of duties on the court.
