The Memphis Grizzlies Will Soon Draft Their Most Talented Player in Franchise History
The Memphis Grizzlies received the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. Chris Schwegler/NBAE Getty Images.
Who do you think the Memphis Grizzlies should select third overall in the 2026 NBA Draft? Cameron Boozer? Caleb Wilson? Maybe Darryn Peterson? That’s a question that will be asked too many times from now until June 23rd, and realistically for the rest of franchise history.
On May 10th, the Memphis Grizzlies were awarded the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. I view the top talent in this draft as one of the best draft classes we’ve seen since 2003. Memphis has a chance to land a once-in-a-lifetime, franchise altering cornerstone. The convenient thing about the timing is, it comes when Memphis is seemingly moving on from its former franchise-altering cornerstone in Ja Morant. I’m not going to get into whether or not I want to keep Ja longterm since that could be its own article, so for the purpose of this article we’ll just assume that Ja Morant isn’t in the long term plans.
Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are two of the consensus top four prospects in this once-in-a-generation draft. With AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson seeming like the most likely picks at No. 1 and No.2 overall respectively, Memphis currently looks to be in position to draft one of the talented power forwards at No. 3. Whoever you decide to say is the right pick might lead to some passionate reactions on social media. Such intense emotions behind wanting to get this pick right after a devastating last few years for the Grizzlies are more than reasonable. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the potential choice between Cameron Boozer vs Caleb Wilson at No. 3.
Offensive Upside
It’s a general consensus that Boozer is the more polished and disciplined player, especially offensively, than Wilson at the moment. Boozer (6-foot-8, 253 pounds) has the more ready NBA body, as he displayed throughout his Freshman season at Duke as he punished defenses night in and night out. However, when factoring in upside while trying to make draft evaluations, projection needs to be considered, on top of current statistical output and pedigree. Wilson (6-foot-9, 211 pounds) projects to be a more athletic finisher around the rim, while also displaying an ability to make pull and post fade mid range jumpers (shot 49% on long midrange shots). Caleb struggled shooting from the three on limited attempts (26% on 1.1 3PA), but the shot form is promising for someone who shot that few threes. If you pair the good looking form with the fact that he shot 71% FT and was efficient on difficult midrange shot attempts, it’s reasonable to believe in the jump shot from three being good enough longterm.
Advantage: Caleb Wilson
Offensive Versatility
When it comes to offensive versatility, you look at everything from ball handling, shooting, passing, strength, athleticism, flexibility, balance and even pace. For Caleb Wilson, his elite athleticism and flexibility allows him to be a plug and play option at either forward position on Day 1 in the NBA. If he’s ever able to add strength and fill out his body, he may even be able to play center situationally at some point in his career, allowing him to play up to three positions eventually. However, Cameron Boozer can do it all on the offensive end. As I mentioned before, of the two prospects, Boozer’s clearly the more polished and disciplined offensively. From his ability to shoot the ball from three at an impressive 39% (54/138 attempts), to his point guard like processing speed and statistical profile, to his ability out work anyone for the rebound, he can do almost anything you’d ask of him. Cameron Boozer is one of the most statistically dominant high school and college players ever, winning at every level he’s ever played at. So is he a no brainer? Is Zach Kleiman going to sprint to the podium for his fellow Duke alumni? Boozer, being an analytic GM’s dream, fits exactly what Zack Kleiman loves to draft. The one area Boozer struggled offensively was the short to long mid range shots (shot 43% and 25% from the short and long midrange respectively). Am I too concerned about this? Definitely not. If there’s one thing trust Boozer to do, it's to improve his game over time. So, are people overthinking it? Is Boozer the perfect fit for Kleiman if available at No.3?
Advantage: Cameron Boozer
Defensive Upside
Contrary to what most people assumed would happen, Cameron Boozer seemed about just as athletic as Caleb Wilson at the NBA Draft Combine. Boozer recorded a faster shuttle and lane agility time than Wilson, while Wilson had Boozer beat in vertical jump and ¾ sprint. You can decided who you consider more athletic on paper, but I think the debate is closer than most would like to admit, at least numbers wise. When you look at the film, I think Caleb Wilson jumps off the screen more when you compare watching him and Boozer on the defensive end specifically. Wilson’s combination of 39.5” vertical leap and lateral quickness at 6’10.5” is a rare combination and allows him to cover a wide range of the court. I think Wilson definitely still has moments where he lacks discipline defensively and is quite frankly just checked out of the play, but with a motor and competitiveness like his, I’m personally not worried yet about that and will bank on his freakish athletic ability. Wilson also clearly has room to grow and improve physically, he needs to fill out his body more, but the athleticism, shot blocking, and defensive range make his defensive upside undeniable.
Advantage: Caleb Wilson
Defensive Versatility
When it comes to the defensive versatility debate between Boozer and Wilson, I think the general consensus is that Wilson has the wider range of defensive skills to provide more defensive versatility. However, I believe that when looking at the two prospects, especially through the Memphis Grizzlies front office lens, I actually believe Boozer is the one with the higher upside defensively when you look at how he’d fit into the roster. Pairing Cameron Boozer with Zach Edey, brings Boozer back to his true natural position of power forward, and provides you with one of the most physically dominant young front court duos in the NBA. We saw how much Boozer was impacted defensively playing at Duke when his front court partner Pat Ngongba got hurt. If Boozer is allowed to slim down just a bit (about 240 pounds) and provide even more agility and flexibility in addition to his basketball IQ, that’s a scary combo and one that would speak to the heart and identity of Memphis Grizzlies fans that still dream of the grit and grind era.
Advantage: Cameron Boozer
Intangibles + Star Potential
When it comes to star power and intangibles, some might lean towards Caleb Wilson due to some of his viral moments in match ups vs Cameron Boozer and his infamous list on his phone of names of players he looks forward to playing and why it’s a personal matchup. However, I once again lean towards Cameron Boozer here. When it comes to Boozer, he displays a level of maturity and professionalism when conducting himself on and off the court, a potentially refreshing change for Grizzlies fans. With Grizzlies Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo being the kind of coach that isn’t afraid to call out his stars, Boozer could be a perfect match. Here's a clip of Boozer mentioning how he handled that exact scenario with Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer:
Advantage: Cameron Boozer
So Who Should the Memphis Grizzlies Draft at No.3?
If I'm Zack Kleiman and on June 23rd, 2026 the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz select AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson at No.1 and No. 2 respectively, i’m sprinting to the podium to draft Cameron Boozer with the 3rd overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. Boozer would instantly become the most talented player in Memphis Grizzlies history. There may be a new number 12 in the city of Memphis…
Cameron Boozer
This article format was inspired by Damaichael Cole’s article from the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee, please go give it a read and make sure to follow Damaichel Cole to stay up to date on all his Memphis Grizzlies related coverage (@DamichaelC on X).
