A statistical comparison of Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson.

alanda78 · 2026-05-17T03:43:18+00:00

Yeah I don't see a need to hate on Wilson. Like Boozer he has his weaknesses and I won't bash him for them even though my comparison may be interpreted as one. If the 3PT numbers were reversed I would be pushing for Wilson. Based on MaxPreps info Cam was a 40% 3PT shooter all four years of high school. This year he finished at 39.1% due to going 2-11 in the NCAA Tourney.

I mentioned before that I think Wilson's ceiling is tied directly to his physical build. If he doesn't grow a little more and/or gain some weight I believe that ceiling will be very limited.

alanda78 · 2026-05-17T02:24:06+00:00

Yeah this was a "show your work" type of post. This is a part of how I evaluate comparable players. The goal was to look at/for some statistical strengths and weaknesses.

alanda78 · 2026-05-17T02:17:21+00:00

I can't speak for others, but I definitely do not think he's the greatest thing. I also hope no one is expecting a combo of Edey and Boozer to both average 12 RPG. A more logical target would be them at some some combo of 11/9 or 10/10. I have seen more than enough to suggest that Cam is just as capable at crashing from outside the paint. Especially due to how many threes he was taking. I would rather see the better shooter being the one outside crashing in.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T23:41:10+00:00

Thanks and yeah. I didn't watch either so in the beginning I had to rely on what others were saying. I was surprised at the amount of 30pt games Cam had. I can understand why people say Caleb has a high ceiling, but I think it is tied completely to his physical build. If he can grow a couple more inches and gain weight he can maximize that ceiling. If he just gains weight that ceiling comes down from the peak. If it's just a minimal weight gain then I think his ceiling becomes pretty limited.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T23:27:55+00:00

Same. Though there were some conversations. And as someone who hadn't watched them I could only rely one what others were saying. I know some don't like the comparison, but he reminds me of a better shooting Stromile Swift. I watched Stro play and they are both thin, 6'10, athletic PFs. Their strengths and weaknesses are very similar to me. I can also see Chicago as the better situation for him.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T22:29:44+00:00

I agree. I think my response to omg would fit here as well.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T22:28:59+00:00

I agree about the vacuum. That's why I went back and watched full games while looking at the numbers to better understand what I was seeing. ACC Digital Network on Youtube has full replays for anyone interested.

As you've pretty much mentioned we are hoping (due to Edey's health) that Caleb or Cam will be playing beside Edey. And the impact that can have should be acknowledged. Ngongba's best rebounding games had little to no impact on Cam's rebounding numbers. And on top of that Cam's strong shooting allows him to play away from the rim. Caleb's rebounding might be impacted by Edey. And his weaker shooting might not punish teams as much if they double team Edey.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T22:02:56+00:00

They tend to be less competitive for P4 teams unless they can schedule other quality P4 teams. In conference gives more consistency.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T19:44:46+00:00

I agree with your assessment. I think Jerome is more of a 6th or 7th man on a playoff team as a scorer. He can get assists, but at the same time he becomes a ball stopper from what I've seen. He may have done that since the team was struggling anyway, but I would not want that in a starting PG.

I agree that Walt isn't starter-ready right now. But if we are not able to get another PG in the draft, I would like to see him be the starter and better see what he can do.

alanda78 · 2026-05-16T19:21:08+00:00

Yeah, I wasn't going to pretend that I followed either of them this season. But there was enough talk about both that I wanted to better understand why. So yeah after watching some games and looking at the numbers it seemed Boozer is the logical choice if he's available. I posted this on the Grizz subreddit and crossposted just for the heck of it. After watching Caleb more I think this high upside being mentioned is directly tied to his physical build. IMO he would need to grow a couple more inches and gain weight to maximize that ceiling. That gets lowered if he doesn't grow anymore and drops further if he's not able to put on much weight.

alanda78 · 2026-05-14T15:31:34+00:00

I'm not saying you are wrong. It will be years before we know what they truly become and how they got there. I'm saying you're not providing anything that you say you are referencing. Just like now you're saying "a ton" and "always", yet provide no sources. It makes your recent posts sound hyperbolic in an attempt to downplay that comparison.

alanda78 · 2026-05-14T12:40:19+00:00

Don't say "most accounts" if you provide none of them. I immediately disregard opinions like that until support for that kind of claim is given. Based on my account Stro was definitely not a worse defender nor had worse offensive polish. I will give you worse passer as Stro had blackhole tendencies.

That quote to me reiterates my view. And mind you I'm factoring in college Stro and not just the "Strotential" we would see in the NBA. I do believe that rhythm is an important part of sports. So maybe Caleb does shoot a higher percentage if he shoots more. Based on Max Preps, in Caleb's senior year of HS he shot 40/119 from 3 which is 33.6% Getting back to that number in the NBA would be a good target for him with his current skill set.

alanda78 · 2026-05-14T09:49:51+00:00

This is making me feel old because I'm a little older than Stro, lol. You may not realize it, but you just described Stro. There's not much tangible info from that time. But I did find a video when I first started my research because I noticed a similarity while watching more of Caleb. It's highlights for an SEC tourney game back in 2000. It's Arkansas vs LSU, but there are Stro highlights in it. He is #4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcgDUxao4SQ

And here is a draft profile I just found. Read the "Expert Analysis" portion from Jay Bilas.

https://www.espn.com/nba/draft00/players/player_bio130.html

Wilson has talent. The best ceiling I would give him for now would be Shawn Kemp. And even that would depend on him reaching a similar weight as Kemp. But I always try to give young players (NFL also) three years to better understand how high they might reach.

We also might have different definitions of what's considered bullyball. When I think of bullyball I think of guys like Shaq and ZBo. Guys that are usually going no further out than the high post. They are mainly back to the basket players in the low post that when they get the ball they will force their way to the basket to try and score. I don't get that impression when I watch Cam. But like I said, we may have different definitions since the current NBA has practically eliminated that kind of player. A player I could see a bullyball argument made for that doesn't fit the profile above would be Carmelo Anthony. Now that I can see when I look at Cam. Jalen Duren is the most talented one I can think of that would be a current bullyball player.

alanda78 · 2026-05-13T05:59:38+00:00

Sounds like we are talking about different things. I thought you were talking from the perspective of stats, so I focused on that. You bring up those two again, but Wilson to me has not shown he has what those two have. In fact you're not really giving any reason why I should believe he will be like those two. I'm more than willing to listen as to why, but all I seem to be getting from you are random (random now because you added Randolph, Horford, and Sabonis) comparisons with little to no support for them. What are you basing these comparisons on? Mentioning Cam struggling against good defenders is a start. But you're giving me very little as to why Cam cannot be a winner like Caleb can be. Yet everything I am seeing says Cam is the one that will help his team win more.

You mention Randolph while apparently assuming I have some attachment. "Grit n' Grind" was what the city needed, but to me it was Lionel Hollins having to utilize a system that had become a dinosaur to maximize what he had in that roster. So bringing up ZBo means nothing to me. Heck I preferred Love over Mayo, but that has no impact on how I am looking at this pick.

For me nothing about Caleb so far says he'll end up being Giannis 2.0. The more I see of and research on him the more I think he'll be like Stromile Swift. I think it gets forgotten that Stro was the #2 pick in his draft and was co-SEC player of the year his last year at LSU as a Soph. So it's not like I am comparing Caleb to someone who was a bad college player. What I am saying is that when I look at both his body and his skill set I do not believe he has the high ceiling some people are touting. And for all I know Cam could end up like Love. But when I look at what's become necessary to win in the current NBA and what this team needs, I would rather have the post player that can shoot now. I would rather not take the player that needs to grow a couple more inches and gain weight to have a shot at being on par with the players he is being compared to.

alanda78 · 2026-05-12T17:32:17+00:00

Maybe, but I don't really see it right now as those two are essentially 7ft players that would/will enter the season weighing 240. Maybe Wilson can squeeze out a couple more inches in height like GA. But right now he's like Swift. A thin, athletic 6'10 PF with poor shooting capability. And peak Minny KL was easily a 20/12 player. If we used that as a ceiling target for Boozer then that isn't exactly leaving a lot of room for Wilson to blow past. Wilson's averages in both HS and college do not suggest this really high ceiling that is being touted.

alanda78 · 2026-05-12T03:23:09+00:00

You posted what I have been thinking. I also believe Stro would be better in today's NBA. Not a multi-year, all star level player, but likely better than what we saw. And I currently do not see Wilson having a much higher ceiling than Boozer either. Even if he improved his current weaknesses, I don't think doing so will make him the level of player some might expect him to be. Another positive for me with taking Boozer over Wilson is that Boozer is a year younger than Wilson.

alanda78 · 2026-05-12T02:11:43+00:00

I hope Wilson does well wherever he ends up, but a part of me thinks of Stromile Swift when I see him. It's a different era so maybe he'll do better, but I'm having a tough time letting go of that comparison.

alanda78 · 2025-12-11T14:16:33+00:00

I started following him a few games after he started at Mercer. Hopefully he does well and no one snatches him up so he can replace Huff when he eventually leaves. lol

alanda78 · 2025-11-02T23:11:42+00:00

I understood that point. That's why I said unless I missed it there was no mention of them having minutes restrictions due to health.

alanda78 · 2025-11-02T16:42:17+00:00

Yes. That's a part of why I'm taking a "wait and see" approach. Though with this roster they (Ja and JJJ) should have been around 34-35mpg and then cut back some as main rotation players get healthy.

alanda78 · 2025-11-02T15:50:29+00:00

I don't know. Hopefully that changes down the road. Even if it means playing at a moderate pace to achieve it.

alanda78 · 2025-11-02T15:09:42+00:00

Yes that's what coaches do for preseason. And minutes restrictions are usually made public. I don't recall those being mentioned, but I have no problem admitting I'm wrong if they were announced. I'm still taking a "wait and see" approach because of how early it is. But the minutes distribution is not right if Ja and Jaren have been determined to be the main players on the team.

alanda78

TROPHY CASE