When Cameron and Cayden Boozer committed to Duke, most assumed the twins would be in Durham for one season before entering the 2026 NBA Draft. However, Carlos Boozer's latest comments suggest that the Blue Devils might have at least one of his sons back in 2026-2027.
While Cameron Boozer has dominated the 2025-2026 college basketball season, Cayden has spent the majority of his sophomore season as Duke's backup point guard. Carlos Boozer acknowledged that his older son would be wise to enter the draft, but revealed that the “plan” is for Cayden to return for his sophomore season.
“Right now, the plan is to come back and develop his sophomore year,” Carlos Boozer said, via NBA reporter Marc Spears. “But with this injury that Caleb Foster [has], who knows? And one thing I tell you about this with Cayden, he's handled this amazingly. He's been a starter his entire life. He's won his entire life, the same as Cameron, and he was asked to be the sixth man this year. He was a star in his role coming off the bench and playing his part… Cayden's ready for this challenge. The play right now is to come back for a sophomore year. But let's see what happens in the next games.”
Cayden Boozer has started just seven games entering the NCAA Tournament behind sophomore Isaiah Evans and junior Caleb Foster. However, a late-season injury to Foster thrust the younger Boozer into the starting lineup in the ACC Tournament, where he took full advantage of the opportunity. Cayden Boozer averaged 13.67 points, 3.67 rebounds and 2.0 assists in Duke's three conference tournament games.
While Cameron Boozer projects as a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Cayden would likely fall into the late second-round range. However, he would likely be one of Duke's leading scorers if he returned for his sophomore season, where he would have the chance to develop into a first-round talent.
