Duke’s Cayden Boozer Looks Up to Kings Star Russell Westbrook

Before arriving at duke Blue Devils males’s basketball, guard Cayden Boozer He had already spent a lot of his childhood across the NBA.

The son of former All-Star Carlos BoozerBoozer grew up inside NBA arenas, locker rooms and group services. Those early experiences helped form his love for the sport — and the kind of participant he hopes to grow to be.

Among the NBA stars he watched rising up, one stood out for his relentless vitality and aggressive drive: Russell Westbrook.

“I think one of my favorite players is Russell Westbrook,” Boozer informed heavy sports activities in an unique interview. “I just feel like he’s always been a really elite player, plays really hard and just does whatever his team needs him to do.”

Russell Westbrook’s Relentless Style Stands Out

gettySacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook has impressed quite a lot of the up-and-coming gamers, together with Duke star Cayden Boozer.

Westbrook’s profession has lengthy been outlined by depth, athleticism and an all-around impression on the sport. A former NBA MVP and one of many league’s most dynamic guards, he constructed his fame on relentless effort and competitiveness.

That mentality left a long-lasting impression on Boozer.

For the younger Duke guard, Westbrook’s willingness to have an effect on the sport in a number of methods — scoring, rebounding and playmaking — represents the form of strategy he admires most.

“He plays really hard and just does whatever his team needs him to do,” Boozer mentioned.

Growing Up Around the NBA

Basketball was by no means distant throughout Boozer’s childhood.

His father, Carlos Boozer, constructed a 13-year NBA profession that included All-Star appearances with the Utah Jazz and later stints with the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

Because of that profession, Cayden and his twin brother Cameron Boozer spent a lot of their youth observing the skilled recreation up shut.

“I think obviously having a dad playing that best so he puts us in a lot of great situations that we were just able to be around the game for basically our entire lives,” Cayden mentioned.

“Whether that’s going to the Bulls facility or obviously watching playoff games.

“But just think of being around the game for so long, just embedded that love of the game that we have today.”

Building His Own Role at Duke

Now starring for Duke Blue Devils males’s basketball, Boozer is starting to carve out his personal path on the faculty degree.

While his twin brother Cameron has emerged as one of the dominant gamers in faculty basketball, Cayden has established a gradual function in Duke’s backcourt rotation.

The freshman guard is averaging 6.8 factors and a pair of.8 assists in 20.7 minutes per recreation this season whereas serving to energy the Blue Devils’ success.

Cameron Boozer has been the group’s main pressure, averaging 22.7 factors and 10.2 rebounds per recreation as Duke climbed to the No. 1 rating within the nation.

While Cameron continues to seem prominently in early NBA mock drafts, Cayden Boozer has not but been broadly projected as a lottery choice.

That leaves open the chance that Cayden may return to Duke for an additional season earlier than getting into the NBA draft.

“There’s a lot of season left, so we’ll see what happens at the end of the season,” Boozer informed heavy sports activities. “But right now, just focusing on what I can do each and every day to get better.”

Growing Spotlight for the Boozer Twins

The Boozer twins’ rising profile has additionally prolonged past the courtroom.

Cameron and Cayden just lately appeared collectively in a nationwide promoting marketing campaign with State Farm, starring within the model’s “Will You Be There?” basketball business — a mirrored image of their rising visibility within the sport.

Still, for Cayden Boozer, the muse of his basketball journey stays rooted within the gamers he admired rising up.

Watching stars like Russell Westbrook compete with relentless depth helped form his understanding of the sport lengthy earlier than he arrived at Duke.

Now growing his personal profession with the Blue Devils, Boozer continues to draw inspiration from the identical aggressive spirit that made Westbrook one of many NBA’s most electrifying guards.

Alder Almo is a sports activities journalist overlaying the NBA for Heavy.com. He has greater than 20 years of expertise in native and worldwide media, together with broadcast, print and digital. He has beforehand lined the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now primarily based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo