Cameron Boozer continued to impress in his young career, leading the Memphis Grizzlies past the Portland Trail Blazers, 124-103, at Moda Center on Thursday. The Grizzlies pulled away in the second half to stay undefeated at 5-0.
Boozer had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in 28 minutes, becoming the second-youngest rookie in league history to record a triple-double. He shot 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from long distance.
In the postgame conference, coach Tuomas Iisalo issued a tongue-in-cheek remark, saying the triple-double should have come sooner for the 19-year-old Boozer.
“It took him long enough. It was his fifth game already,” said Iisalo, as quoted by The Daily Memphian's Drew Hill.
It underscored the belief the 44-year-0ld Iisalo has in the prized rookie, whom the Grizzlies selected with the No. 3 pick in June.
Despite his historic performance, the former Duke standout refused to celebrate too much.
“It's nice. I will keep going. The season's just starting. We have 77 more, so a lot more to come,” said Boozer.
Article Continues Below🗣️ "The future is bright. Keep competing. Keep winning games. Give our fans something to root for!" 🐻
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He acknowledged the tough challenge issued by the Trail Blazers and tipped his hat to his teammates.
“They are a hard team to guard. Ja (Morant), Dame (Lillard), and Deni (Avdija), that's a hard trio to stay in front of. But at the end of the day, toughness, rebounds, we got some stops. We looked at size too. Stew (Isaiah Stewart) got us going. Zach (Edey) got us going. It's a lot of fun,” added the fast-rising newcomer.
Boozer has been fearless in battling against established veterans, displaying the toughness and confidence that made him a much-desired prospect.
The Grizzlies will visit the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.