Can Cam Boozer Replicate Cooper Flagg’s Success at Duke?

Cooper Flagg cemented himself as a Duke legend over the last calendar year.

The 6-foot-9 forward came in as his class’s top-ranked player, and more than proved that in his time with the Blue Devils. 

Across 37 collegiate games, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 blocks and steals, cruising to multiple national player of the year awards. Even better, he was able to lead Duke to the Final Four alongside prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. And all that and more eventually made him the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NBA Draft.

Flagg seemed built in a lab to hit the ground running at the college level. He was bigger, faster and stronger than most of his peers, able to score at any level offensively and make consistent plays on defense. If he wasn’t outmatching his opponents physically, his feel for the game made up the ground.

Duke’s next potential star could very well see the same concoction of skills, albeit in a slightly different package. 

Cam Boozer, the 2025 high school class’s No. 3 player per RSCI, is set to follow in Flagg’s footsteps at Duke next season. The son of former two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, Cam is similarly framed at 6-foot-9, offering an interior-minded forward with a knack for simply overpowering his competition.

At the high school level, Boozer has been a force, perhaps dominating more than anyone else due to his combination of touch and physical tools. While that’s worked to make him one of the best preps prospects, it’s likely left him a step behind his fellow top prospects in Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa in terms of the highly athletic NBA.

Still, similarly to Flagg, Boozer’s feel for the game will carry him far. While the post game is somewhat fading in the NBA, the forward has the instincts there to really succeed, and has enough face-up game with handling and jump-shooting to offer versatility overall. Additionally, he has great passing feel in the open court and in the short-roll, meaning he should help Duke from a team perspective all season.

Following up Flagg will be a tall task for Boozer. With Duke sending five prospects to the NBA at the draft a month ago, the team assuredly won't be as talented. But they'll obviously still compete as one of the top programs with one of the top prospects. It isn't likely Boozer will lead Duke to the Final Four, but he could very well place himself in No. 1 talks alongside Dybantsa and Peterson with a solid season.