Former Duke star Cameron Boozer just put up his first NBA triple-double, and the Memphis Grizzlies are still perfect. Boozer finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 28 minutes as Memphis beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 at Moda Center on Thursday to move to 5-0, as reported by ClutchPoints.
He did it efficiently, too: 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from three. At 19, Boozer became the second-youngest rookie in league history to record a triple-double.
His head coach was not exactly shocked. “It took him long enough. It was his fifth game already,” Tuomas Iisalo joked after the game, per The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill.
Boozer kept it level. “It’s nice. I will keep going. The season’s just starting,” he said.
The IAHHM Take
Memphis took Boozer No. 3 overall in June, and five games in, the fit looks scary. He is not just scoring. Twelve assists from a rookie forward tells you he sees the floor like a vet, and that’s the part of his game that made him special in Durham.
Tobacco Road is having a moment in the league right now. Boozer is stacking wins in Memphis while his fellow Duke alum Cooper Flagg is out here handing OKC its first loss. Blue Devil fans get to argue about two young franchise pieces at once.
The test now is staying power. Memphis visits Sacramento on Saturday, and nobody stays 5-0 forever. But if Boozer keeps filling the box score like this, the Rookie of the Year chatter is going to start early.
Real question: is Boozer the most complete rookie in the league right now, or is it too early to say?
Source: ClutchPoints
