Cam Whitmore Scouting Report: NBA Comparison, Draft Ranking, Highlights, Stats
Contents
Cam Whitmore Scouting Report
Whitmore displayed enamoring scoring tools during his freshman season. He averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, and 1.4 SPG on a 47/34/70 shooting split. Whitmore is also one of the youngest prospects in this draft too as he only turns 19 in July. Therefore, a team will have him for 8-9 seasons before he even reaches his prime! That’s a major selling point for long-term roster construction.
Draft Age: 18.11
Height: 6’7”
Wingspan: 6’8”
Position: F
Team: Villanova
Strengths: Whitmore is a freight train on drives due to his 40” vertical and 235-pound frame. He welcomes contact and bulldozes his way through, but the impressive part is that he rarely loses his balance. Once he gets NBA spacing around his drives…good luck to the defense.
He doesn’t own the fastest first step; however, Whitmore’s handle and change of pace routinely shakes defenders and provides daylight for a drive. One of the more unheralded aspects of Whitmore’s game is his impeccable footwork; he has an extremely high isolation scorer ceiling as a result. His pull-up and catch-and-shoot jumpers both appear polished, and he can score from anywhere on the court. Plus, he’s a smart cutter that can be a true lob threat. Overall, Whitmore has a bright future as a wing scorer.
In addition, Whitmore utilizes his strength and hustle to impact both the glass and the defensive end. He won’t thrive against the quickest guards, although Whitmore can legitimately guard 2-4 without appearing overmatched. That’s not to say he will approach an All-Defensive team, but Whitmore can be a plus defender.
Weaknesses: Whitmore’s biggest weakness by far is his playmaking. The numbers are not kind: 0.7 APG despite a 25.6 usage percentage. When watching the tape, it seemed like Whitmore made up his mind that he was shooting at the end of the drive regardless of whether he was covered or not. Poor decision making was definitely on display, although I also attribute his lackluster playmaking to average court vision and passing talent.
Finally, 6’7” with a 6’8” wingspan isn’t bad, but it’s also not optimal for a scoring wing. The non-ideal wingspan very slightly diminishes his defensive resources.
Cam Whitmore Stats
2022-23 | Games | PPG | APG | RPG | SPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cam Whitmore | 26 | 12.5 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 47.8 | 34.3 | 70.3 |
Cam Whitmore NBA Comparison
My favorite offensive comp of the entire draft process: Whitmore eerily resembles Keldon Johnson in a number of ways. They are both somewhat undersized scoring wings that build their offense on powerful drives, utilize change of pace effectively, possess the ability to thrive on or off-ball, and rarely shoot mid-range jumpers. Johnson has a playmaking edge, but Whitmore is the superior off-the-dribble scorer, rebounder, and defender.
Overall, Whitmore has the higher ceiling of the two and reasonably could breach 25 PPG once he has a few seasons under his belt. For context, Johnson just turned in a 22 PPG, 5 RPG, 2.9 APG season for the Spurs.
Cam Whitmore Highlights
Cam Whitmore NBA Draft Ranking, Team Fit, Landing Spot
Draft Ranking: Whitmore ranks 5th on my Big Board and sits in the third tier with Brandon Miller and Amen Thompson.
Team Fit: The Pacers are the optimal fit, although they will have to trade up from 7th (which they are reportedly interested in doing) to acquire Whitmore. Indiana has a massive need at forward, and he injects a burst of talent there. Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and TJ McConnell provide plenty of playmaking for Indiana, so Whitmore’s weakness won’t be glaring. Indiana’s guards thrive as spot up shooters too and happily accept this role on possessions, which allows Whitmore to operate as a driver where he’s best. Plus, the Pacers can surround his slashing with three-point shooting at all positions, including center because of Myles Turner’s presence. Overall, it’s a perfect situation for Whitmore’s skill set.
Landing Spot: Whitmore probably goes in the 4-6 range, although it’s possible he could go 3rd overall. If Houston (4th) is sold on Kevin Porter Jr or acquires James Harden, then Whitmore would be the logical choice over Amen Thompson. A starting lineup of Harden/Porter Jr, Jalen Green, Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr, and Alperen Sengun holds tremendous offensive potential. Detroit (5th) also needs to boost their forward rotation, and Whitmore would oblige. Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey hide Whitmore’s mediocre playmaking and allow him to focus on scoring through drives, isolations, or spot up shooting. A lineup of Cunningham, Ivey, Bogdanovic, Whitmore, and Duren digs Detroit out of the lottery sooner rather than later.