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Second-year Duke basketball guard Cayden Boozer has been a steady facilitator throughout the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils' preseason slate and in Monday night's 84-50 season opener victory over the visiting Army Black Knights in Cameron Indoor Stadium. And keep in mind that this season marks the the first-ever season that the 19-year-old Miami native, son of 2001 Duke basketball national champion Carlos Boozer, is not teammates with his twin brother, Cameron Boozer.
Of course, Cameron Boozer starred as the ACC Player of the Year and National Player of the Year for a 2026-27 Blue Devil squad that finished 35-3 overall. Now, the phenom forward is shining for the Memphis Grizzles to the degree of sitting atop the Kia Rookie Leader in the early going of the NBA Rookie of the Year race.
And it sure sounds like Cayden Boozer and Cameron Boozer, with over 700 miles between them from Durham to Memphis, are paying close attention to each other's campaigns.
"It's great," Cayden Boozer said in the locker room following the blowout win over Army when asked by Duke Blue Devils On SI how it feels to watch Cameron Boozer now thriving in living his NBA dream. "We all know how good of a player he is, but just seeing him doing it on that level...It's just great to see him do what he's always done and do it at the highest level. So, I'm super proud of him."
While they don't schedule times to talk to one another after games, Boozer noted that they are still in contact with each other regularly via the Boozer family group chat.
"We keep the family group chat going," he explained. "When we see the group chat, we text back and forth. And that's just how we stay connected."
Cameron Boozer is currently averaging a potentially All-Star-caliber double-double with his 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds to go along with 5.6 assists per outing for the Grizzlies, who are now 6-1 after suffering their first loss of the season, 132-131 in overtime at home versus the New Orleans Pelicans, on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Cayden Boozer has been a starter since the beginning of the preseason for the loaded 2026-27 Blue Devils.
He tallied nine points, three boards, three dimes, and one steal across his 20 minutes of action in Duke's season opener, shooting 3-for-7 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 2-for-4 at the charity stripe.
Cayden Boozer and the rest of Jon Scheyer's fifth Duke basketball squad next face the visiting Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Durham at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (ACC Network). Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies host the Indiana Pacers at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (NBA League Pass).