Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje: The Next Great Big?

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Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, #13 of the United States of America (USA) in action during the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup - Turkiye 2026 Group A match between the United States of America (USA) and France at Basketball Development Centre in Istanbul, Turkey on June 27, 2026. (Photo by Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtjte already has heads turning. Imagine you’re a Belmont player about to face the Duke Blue Devils in an exhibition game. You turn around and see a 7’2, 250 pound center dribbling, posting up and even shooting threes. You’re only thoughts are, “this can’t be real”, “he’s not from this planet” or “what am I witnessing”.

The Impressive Build And Play Of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje

Duke has a 7’2, 250 pound 17 year old freshman that’s not even eligible for the draft next year. Boumtje Boumtje has guard skills mixed with actual center play. He can shoot the ball, or go to work in the post. He is definitely a unique player to say the least.

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje playing basketball for Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup.
GettyJoaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, #13 of the United States of America (USA) warms up before the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup – Turkiye 2026 Group A match between the United States of America (USA) and France at Basketball Development Centre in Istanbul, Turkey on June 27, 2026. (Photo by Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

In 22 minutes of play Boumtje Boumtje had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks shooting an efficient 7/11 and 2/5 on threes. Even though it was just an exhibition game against Belmont, he showed that Duke is not lost without Cam Boozer and that there is a new big man ready to dominate. The scariest part is that he is not eligible for next year’s draft and could potentially stay an extra year at Duke

The Future Is Bright For Boumtje Boumtje

It is going to be very tough for college kids to be able to guard a center that already has an NBA ready body at just 17 years old. NBA scouts will be drooling over the thought of having them on their team. He has the potential to be yet another Player of the Year candidate for the Duke Blue Devils.

Playing for an already loaded Duke team is going to make it tough for opposing teams to send multiple defenders at him. He is a player that is going to fly up on everyones draft boards. His game resembles Karl-Anthony Towns. He can post up, step outside and hit a three-pointer. His jump shot looks smooth.

Will He Dominate College Basketball?

Boumtje Boumtje has the size, skill and mobility to dominate college basketball. Cam Boozer and Cooper Flagg set high standards for Duke freshmen in recent years. Boumtje Boumtje could be a rare talent at the college level for a player just 17 years old. His debut against Belmont showed a lot, it showed that yet another Duke freshman is ready to dominate college basketball and compete for Player of the Year.

It is going to be hard for teams to game plan for Boumtje Boumtje having to worry about the other four starters. He will have people debating whether or not he is the best freshman they have ever seen. He is unique and people will be saying that they’ve never seen anything like him before.

With all this being said, Boumtje Boumtje already looks comfortable, he looks ready. He is going to be a scary sight for teams to see on the other end of warm-ups. Without a doubt, he will be a very exciting and entertaining talent to watch and will draw the eyes of every scout in the NBA.

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Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje: The Next Great Big?

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