During the run-up to the NBA Draft, Arizona’s Tobe Awaka and Duke’s Cameron Boozer faced a similar issue: neither was thought to have much of a vertical leap.
Awaka – 6-8 and 261 – registered a standing leap of 32.5 inches. For his part, Boozer – 6-9 and 253 – got 28.5 inches, which was better than expected. He also proved to be far more agile than scouts thought, with an 11.060-second pro lane drill time. That tied for first overall, and, incidentally, topped Cooper Flagg’s mark from the year before.
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Anyway, Awaka and Boozer met in Sunday’s preseason match between the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies. Boozer shook loose and drove the lane, which resulted in a slam that Awaka started to contest but ultimately allowed in order to avoid a foul.
It didn’t matter; in the end Memphis won 104-100. Boozer played 12 minutes, scoring 8 more points besides that dunk. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
It’s still exhibition season, which means teams are looking at players and lineups, so to an extent, you can’t take too much of it seriously. Still, Boozer is probably making Memphis execs and coaches pretty pleased that he’s on their team.
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