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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: Cameron Boozer is introduced prior to Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

The first eight NBA Draft picks of 2026 went in the order most expected, but one top three pick felt a little disrespected. Cameron Boozer was selected third overall by the Memphis Grizzlies and decided to call out two other teams for passing on him. The entire college season saw the trio of AJ Dybantsa, Daryn Peterson, and Boozer each hoping to end up as the top overall pick with each holding strong hype.

Dybantsa was selected first overall by the Washington Wizards, and Peterson was chosen second by the Utah Jazz. Boozer made the following bold statement on ESPN about making those teams regret their pick:

“Of course, I feel [I’m the best player], I’m not gonna say I don’t understand why people say that [Peterson and Dybantsa are going ahead of me], those two guys are amazing players, everyone knows that. But for me, not being in that conversation, I don’t understand it. But many years down the line, people will say that I should’ve been.”

All three players deserved to feel confident entering the draft, but Boozer was considered the third most talented player. An outstanding college season for the historic Duke college saw Boozer playing well in high level stress games. Time will tell if he’s ready for the highest level of basketball in the NBA.

Will Teams Regret Passing On Cameron Boozer?

The belief of Boozer is that he will have a special career and play a role in the Grizzlies becoming a winning franchise. However, the scenario of teams regretting their picks also will have to see their players being noticeably worse than Boozer.

This quote just puts more pressure on Boozer and creates more comparisons to the two names selected above him. Dybantsa has a chance to contribute to winning basketball since the Wizards have All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis on the roster.

Utah has a strong core of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson, and Keyonte George for Peterson to thrive with. Boozer will have less talent in Memphis, if they trade Ja Morant, to make his path to greatness harder. The confidence to make this statement while knowing his team needs the most help to win games is commendable.

Why Did Teams Pass On Cameron Boozer

The same order of the draft was how most scouts ranked the three players this time last summer. Dybantsa and Peterson are considered to have a little more natural athletic ability than Boozer, which is more important with prospects entering the league.

However, Boozer does deserve credit for leading his college team to win in the most stressful situation and has the NBA Pedigree of being Carlos Boozer’s son. Washington and Utah decided that the talent level of the other two were better than Boozer in a rare scenario where three elite prospects were in the draft.

The margin of error saw teams prioritizing the best available talent and hoping they can develop said prospects into superstars. Memphis fans should be most excited by having a rookie expecting to be a superstar. The rebuild from trading Jackson and Desmond Bane is already paying off.