Cameron Boozer and Cedric Coward were supposed to share a basketball future once before.
It did not happen at Duke. But as Boozer sat inside FedExForum on Thursday, June 25, wearing the expectations that come with being the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft, the former Duke star made clear he has no problem with the reunion happening now — in Memphis, with the Grizzlies betting on a younger core and a new identity.
“I mean, Ced had to do what was best for him,” Boozer said, smiling as he clarified that he was not angry when Coward chose to go pro instead of joining him at Duke. “It would have been great to play with him. But what we would have done at Duke could have been great. Obviously, you saw (his play last season) in the NBA. So imagine what he could have done at the college level.”
Now, Boozer said, he is looking forward to the pairing.
That future — with Boozer, Coward, Zach Edey and a wave of new young talent — was the undercurrent Thursday as the Grizzlies introduced their 2026 draft class: Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick; Karim López, the No. 21 pick from the New Zealand Breakers; and Richie Saunders, the No. 32 pick from Brigham Young.
The three rookies sat alongside Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman and head coach Tuomas Iisalo inside the Don Poier Media Center, where much of the conversation was not just about who Memphis had drafted, but what kind of team the Grizzlies are trying to become.
For Boozer, the question was immediate: Is it intimidating to enter the NBA as one of its youngest players, a top-three pick and a possible face of the franchise?
“I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating,” Boozer said. “I’ve had a target on my back my whole career. I’ve been one of the top players in the country in my class for four or five years now. So I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating, but obviously the NBA is a new level. I’d say it’s more exciting.”
Boozer, a unanimous first-team All-American and national player of the year at Duke, said the challenge is part of what he wants.
“I want to be a great player,” he said. “I want to be one of the greatest players to play the game. That means you’re going to have challenges. … I’m excited to be here in Memphis. I think we’ve got a great young team who’s hungry. And I think we’re going to surprise people.”
That confidence was matched by a clear understanding of the stage he is stepping onto. Boozer said his time at Duke and his history of playing under pressure has prepared him.
“Going to Duke really helped me prepare for this,” Boozer said. “You’re playing on one of the biggest stages in college basketball, if not the biggest stage. You’re playing big games every night. You’re playing other top players every night. And for me, I’ve been the best player on my team my whole life.
“I’m not saying I’m going to come in and walk in and be the best player. But being a big-time player is not something that’s new to me.”
Iisalo’s smile told part of the story when he was asked about Boozer’s offensive possibilities. At 6-foot-9 with scoring touch, passing instincts and high-level feel, Boozer is not the kind of frontcourt player easily confined to one role.
“He’s a very unique player in many aspects,” Iisalo said. “He does everything, basically, on the court. He can create mismatches in the post. He scores out of transition. He is an excellent shooter and mover without the ball. He can screen. He can handle.”
For Iisalo, the most intriguing part may not be any one skill, but how Boozer’s game connects to others.
“There’s really everything you would need from an offensive guy,” Iisalo said. “The big thing with him is just to utilize his high basketball IQ, his decision-making and his ability also to get the teammates on the same page.”
New Grizzlies look
Boozer’s fit with Edey and Coward was one of the clearest on-court storylines of the day. Edey, the former national player of the year at Purdue, gives Memphis a massive interior presence after averaging 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds last season. Coward played his rookie season for the Grizzlies and averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, giving Memphis another young, physical and versatile building block on the wing.
Boozer sounded eager about how those pieces could fit together.
“Ced is a great player, so I’m excited to get on the court with him,” Boozer said. “And then Zach — he’s huge. So I’m super excited to play with a guy that big. I think we’re going to dominate the glass and the paint. It’s going to be a lot of fun, for sure.”
That language — physicality, toughness, winning, work — also lined up with how Kleiman described the organization’s direction.
“They’re serious. They’re tough-minded. They’re output-focused,” Kleiman said of his rookie class. “It’s about winning at the end of the day. We’ve got guys that are all bought in. They’ve done it. They’ve shown at every level that these guys are focused on winning and have, in fact, won.”
Asked what brand of basketball he wants the Grizzlies to play, Iisalo said the team talked often last season about speed — and not just foot speed and making quick decisions. He also returned to the relationship between the team and the city.
“All of the Grizzlies teams from the past and present also need to have a strong identity,” Iisalo said. “That identity for us has started with high effort and high character, team-orientedness.
“It’s very important that the people feel like the team is a working team and that they play for the whole and play for each other, but also for the city and the organization.”
Beyond Boozer
The Grizzlies’ draft class brings a range of stories beyond Boozer.
López, who played the past two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, became the first Mexican-born player drafted in the first round. López said he’s already felt the support from both Mexico and Memphis.
“It’s great. It’s amazing,” López said. “Just to have people supporting me, it always helps, right? It’s better to have supporters than haters. I’m super blessed for that and just looking forward to this opportunity.”
Saunders, meanwhile, arrives as an older rookie at 24, and he is still recovering from a major knee injury. He said the past few months have tested him, but also sharpened his focus.
“It was hard,” Saunders said. “Having pretty much a life-changing injury, I’ve never experienced that. But I’ve been just super mentally building. I’ve been doing my best. I’m just so focused on getting better and focused on having a great foundation as I enter into this next step.”
Saunders said the process has been defined by work, something he sees as central to his basketball story.
“That’s what I’ve done my whole career, is work,” Saunders said. “It’s been in this different, more focused way, but it’s been work. … I’m grateful to finish my rehab here and be playing when I’m playing, and be able to just work alongside these guys, alongside the rest of the team, and bring what I bring to the table and help win games.”
Iisalo said Boozer and López are expected to participate in Summer League, while Saunders remains in rehab.
