Whether you love him or hate him there’s one thing you can’t deny: Carlos Boozer is one of the most interesting players in the NBA.
No one play describes Boozer better than what took place after a spectacular play during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last season.
The play began as Derrick Rose split a double team of Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem and exploded towards the rim. Rose then took off and slammed a thunderous dunk on six-foot-nine center Joel Anthony. You would expect Rose to be the one yelling in excitement from his throw down but instead it was Boozer doing the screaming. Boozer put his fists near his waist and yelled in celebration of Rose’s slam. YouTube users made note of it and many of the comments on the video are related to Boozer’s reaction to the dunk. If you watch Boozer enough you’ll realize he screams a lot.
Whether it’s off a missed lay-up, a missed free throw, or even a rebound there’s a good chance Boozer will be screaming something after the play. Boozer’s most common play resulting in him yelling is when he feels he or his teammate deserved an and-one. Boozer screams “and-one!” numerous times during games. The microphones on the court almost always pick it up. Drinking games related to Boozer’s constant screaming during games have become popular. The screaming has become a habit of Boozer’s and teammate Joakim Noah has recently caught on as well. Yelling is not Boozer’s only habit.
Boozer’s most notable habit is that he wants to touch the basketball at all times. Former Utah Jazz teammate C.J. Miles even commented on the habit when he said "I never noticed how much (Boozer) does it until someone asked me, 'Why does he have to touch the ball after every free throw and every dead ball?'"
If you watch the entirety of a Bull’s game you will notice that Boozer asks the referee for the ball and touches it after every single dead play, literally. Free throws are especially when Boozer makes sure he gets his two hands on the ball. Boozer touches the ball so often that most referees know to just give it to him. Players from other teams do it on occasion as well. Boozer’s habits are not the only thing unique about him.
The way Boozer plays is so different from everyone else in the league. Boozer may have the highest-arcing jumper in the NBA. It is not uncommon for a guard to have a high-arcing jump shot (ala six-foot-three Ben Gordon) but for a six-foot-nine power forward it is a rarity. Boozer uses his rainbow jumper in the post and as a mid-range weapon. Boozer also has a very high-arcing free-throw stroke, similar to that of Derek Fisher’s. Boozer takes a ton of jump shots too. 68% of his shot attempts are jump shots according to 82games.com. The shot looks beautiful when it goes in but is equally as ugly when it clanks off the rim. This season his jump-shot has been spectacular for a big man. Here is a look at how Boozer stacks up against other elite power forwards in the league (**According to hoopdata.com**)
Player | At Rim | 3-9 Feet | 10-15 Feet | 16-23 Feet |
Carlos Boozer | 66.4% | 58% | 41% | 45% |
Chris Bosh | 71.1% | 45% | 36.7% | 40.3% |
LaMarcus Aldridge | 66.3% | 44.6% | 48.2% | 44% |
Pau Gasol | 67% | 54.6% | 36% | 44% |
Blake Griffin | 73.2% | 40.4% | 36.8% | 34% |
Kevin Love | 61.9% | 41.8% | 29.4% | 33% |
Dirk Nowitzki | 70% | 33.3% | 40.4% | 54% |
At the rim Boozer is within 5 percent of everyone on this list with the exception of Griffin who is the best finishing power forward in the league other than Millsap (who is shooting a sizzling 76.6 percent at the rim). From 3-9 feet Boozer is simply the best in the league right now. With the minimum of 30 attempts and at least 25 minutes played per game, Boozer leads the entire league shooting 58 percent from 3-9 feet. Boozer’s use of an assortment of floaters and high arcing-shots lead to his success in the in-between game.
With at least 25 shots made from the 10-15 foot range among qualifying power forwards, Boozer has the fifth best field goal percentage at 41 percent. From 16-23 feet Boozer is exceptional as well shooting at a 45 percent clip. That is second best among power forwards who have made at least 60 shots from the 16-23 range (Nowitzki shoots an unfair 54 percent). As great as Boozer is at shooting, the best part of his game is in the post.
Field goal percentage ranks from post-up (minimum 75 plays)
Field goal percentage ranks from post-up (minimum 75 plays)
Player | Plays | Plays/G | FG | FG% |
LeBron James | 102 | 4.1 | 41-74 | 55.4 |
Carl Landry | 101 | 4.4 | 40-77 | 51.9 |
Carlos Boozer | 121 | 4.2 | 53-104 | 51.0 |
Roy Hibbert | 216 | 8.0 | 87-175 | 49.7 |
Pau Gasol | 145 | 5.0 | 54-109 | 49.5 |
LaMarcus Aldridge | 269 | 9.6 | 103-208 | 49.5 |
Dwight Howard | 368 | 12.7 | 119-248 | 48.0 |
Blake Griffin | 176 | 6.8 | 57-122 | 46.7 |
Kobe Bryant | 160 | 5.5 | 59-127 | 46.4 |
Kevin Garnett | 128 | 4.7 | 45-97 | 46.4 |
Source: Synergy Sports Technology, compiled by Tom Haberstroh
With a minimum of 50 post shots made, Boozer leads the NBA in field percentage from post-ups at a 51 percent mark. The Bulls signed Boozer to that humongous deal because they needed a low-post threat. Boozer has been that and more.
Boozer has an outstanding player efficiency rating of 20.23, which is tenth among power forwards. Boozer’s defensive numbers aren’t too bad this year as his rebound rate is top 20 among power forwards and his 1.07 steals per game are tied for ninth among power forwards. Boozer’s opponents PER of 14.0 at the power forward position (15.0 is the league average) is a major improvement from last years rating of 17.6. Boozer’s per 40 minute stats are on par with his career averages at 20.4 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor.
Come on Bulls fans, how could you be disappointed with Boozer’s production this year? He even has hair now!
Even if Boozer never does live up to his $75 million contract, at the very least he will continue to keep fans entertained.
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