Cameron Boozer Didn’t Need Thirty To Look Like He Belongs

Memphis drops 132 on Atlanta and everybody's gonna look at the score like the Grizzlies were just out there playing NBA 2K on rookie difficulty. They scored 81 points in the first half, including 49 in the second quarter alone, so yeah, the offense was getting whatever it wanted for stretches. But the dude I was actually watching was Cameron Boozer. In 18 minutes the rookie gave them 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals on 5-for-9 shooting. That's not one of those crazy 30-point debuts where social media acts like a Hall of Fame speech is already due. It was something I might like more: he looked like he knew what to do with the ball. GG Jackson led Memphis with 14, Jaylen Wells hit four threes, and Ty Jerome found guys for easy looks. Boozer wasn't standing there waiting to be the hero. He was fitting into an offense that had several guys contributing, and that's exactly what I'd want from a young player trying to prove he can actually play NBA basketball.

This is the kind of profile where I'm watching the little shit before I look at a player points over on FanDuel. Boozer might be able to get 11 just by being in the right spots, but four assists in limited minutes says he sees the court too. Whether Memphis gives him those touches with Ja and the rest of the full rotation healthy is a completely separate question. And 49 points in a quarter with the team shooting 8-for-11 from deep in that period isn't the kind of thing you copy into a spreadsheet like it's going to happen every Tuesday. There's still stuff to learn about the Hawks as well — Corey Kispert had 19, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 14, and rookie Kingston Flemings put up 11. It's preseason, so nobody gets eliminated from anything. I'm just saying Memphis showed me how Boozer can contribute without needing the game planned around him. That's more interesting to me than somebody dropping a meaningless 35 while taking every available shot.

Making the right play is a skill too, not just getting buckets.6IX / WHAT I'M TAKING AWAY