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Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer is arguably the favorite for the 2026-27 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
The race for this season's ROTY is set to be a tight one, as it also features Washington Wizards No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, Utah Jazz No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson and Chicago Bulls No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson.
All four players selected in the top four picks of the draft are considered to be some of the best prospects of all time. The hype surrounding them and the talent level they have already shown in summer league sets up a potential all-time rookie of the year race. Here are the top three threats to Boozer in the battle for ROTY.
3. Chicago Bulls F Caleb Wilson
Wilson shot the ball much better than expected in summer league. The 6-10 forward shot 41.9 percent from three on a heavy 7.8 attempts per game in his four contests. The outside shot was the main concern with Wilson as a prospect after shooting just 26 percent from long range in his freshman season at North Carolina.
If Wilson continues to shoot it at the level he did in Vegas, there is no telling what his ceiling is and what his impact could be right away. However, I am not buying in on Wilson being a 40+ percent three-point shooter as a rookie due to a small sample size and the low-stakes environment of summer league.
A bulk of Wilson's early impact will be on the defensive end, and while he will likely be terrific as a rookie, the two players ahead of him on this list have much more offensive talent right now that favors them in an award race.
2. Washington Wizards F AJ Dybantsa
Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick, falls into a unique spot where he is not immediately the best player on his team. Peterson is also not 1A yet for Utah, but what hurts Dybantsa in a ROTY race is that his running mate is Trae Young.
Young will be essential in helping Dybantsa play off the ball and settle into the NBA by taking on-ball pressure off Dybantsa. However, Young could also easily be Washington's leading scorer, taking away opportunities for Dybantsa to win ROTY.
All of this is said in the context of the award. Dybantsa should be a good player right away and will get plenty of scoring opportunities alongside Young. He has just as good a chance as the other three top-four picks to end up as the best player in the class.
It is also important to note that when talking Boozer, Dybantsa and Peterson for ROTY, the gaps are extremely small.
1. Utah Jazz G Darryn Peterson
It might sound hypocritical to put Peterson over Dybantsa after knocking Dybantsa for playing with a ball-dominant point guard. Peterson will share the backcourt with Keyonte George while also playing alongside former All-Stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.
That is three players who could easily score more points per game than Peterson. However, I have Peterson at No. 1 mainly because of how good I think he is. His summer league performance took a major dip in Vegas following a stellar performance in Salt Lake City.
Yes, Peterson probably falls lower on the totem pole in Utah than Dybantsa will in Washington as a rookie, but I am willing to bet on Peterson's talent and his chances of being the guy in Utah by the end of the season when it comes to ROTY rankings.
Today's best reads
- Analyzing the choice the Grizzlies made of Boozer over Wilson
- How Cameron Boozer is Already Showing Star Potential
- Grading the Grizzlies's summer leaguers as they maul Hawks
- Memphis Grizzlies' top youngsters struggle in second game in Las Vegas
- Projecting a Grizzlies Win Total for First Season Post-Morant
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/grizzlies/onsi as Ranking the top 3 threats to Cameron Boozer for Rookie of the Year.
