#5 Cam Whitmore
Height: 6’7
Weight: 232
School: Villanova
Position: SF
Class: Freshman
WHO
Villanova guard Cam Whitmore has shocked the nation with his incisive dribbles, flashy finishes, and aerial dominance that rivals the United States Air Force. Although he rocketed up the draft boards thanks to solid performances in the Big East, he’s been racking up solid performances since high school.
Whitmore attended Archbishop Spalding (MD), where he was named the Capital’s Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year. He was a consensus five-star recruit, garnering offers from UNC, Illinois, and eventually, Villanova. He even starred in the FIBA U-18 Americas Tournament, where he was named MVP as the US rolled to a first-place finish.
At Villanova, Whitmore headlined a quietly-potent team tipped to do well in the Big East. Although they had a largely mediocre season, Whitmore was a shining light in a sea of depression. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 26 games with Nova. He also won Big East All-Freshman and was the Big East’s Rookie of the Year.
Although some expectations stayed unfulfilled, Whitmore had a lot of positives come from his freshman year. Villanova was very bad, but for all their mediocrity, Whitmore excelled despite the weapons around him, which is why his case differs from a player like Gradey Dick or Keyontae George. His starpower was submerged in a sea of suckiness, so you shouldn’t lean on just the numbers.
Cam Whitmore is arguably the most athletic player entering the draft this year. There are so many clips of him bursting to the rim, finishing a tough, contact-heavy and-one, finishing a flush over a helpless defender. He has a great dribble, some playmaking attributes, and is definitely a positive on the offensive end. He shoots well, and even with a thumb injury that set him back some steps, he has shown encouraging signs of becoming a potent shooter from range.
Defensively, Whitmore is great. He stifles defenders, inching up on them to suffocate them like a boa constrictor, but without all the fouls that usually comes with this high-risk, high-reward style of defending. Whitmore averaged 1.4 steals per game and 0.3 blocks, which is phenomenal for a defender who mainly guarded perimeter threats. He controls the ball even when it’s not in his hands, forcing defenders to their weak side, baiting them to overaggress and punishing them fittingly; everything a Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown kind of player can do in the NBA.
Of course, there is the big issue leading many draft experts and fans to leave him to the low end of the lottery. His confidence (or overconfidence), mentality, and intelligence has left many scouts shaking their heads. However, Whitmore has the potential to improve most, if not all of those things, by his second or third professional season. His upside is too good to leave behind, and although the doubts are real, Whitmore slots in as a top-seven draft pick, a solid wing option ranking just behind the Thompson Twins, Jarace Walker, and Gradey Dick.
WHY
Whitmore is your athletic, freakish, explosive forward that many GMs and scouts have grown to covet over the ages. The results he brings on offense; Villanova was one of the nation’s most explosive offenses and Whitmore was its ringleader; has reportedly enticed teams like the Thunder and the Spurs, who would like a young, up-and-coming scorer on their team.
Whitmore should go to teams around the 5-10 range. He has a lot of upside on both ends of floor, but his production varied at Villanova thanks to an ineffective jump shot and the necessity to have others create for him. He may struggle initially on a team without any real pieces around him, but his upside is certainly too good to pass up on.
PRO SCOUT QUOTES
Whitmore is a polarizing prospect. Some love his potential as a shot creator, and I count myself among that group. He’s a terrific driver and above-the-rim finisher. Athletically, he’s a powerful 230-pound force, defenders bounce off him on his way to the basket. Away from the basket, his handle is relatively developed in terms of change of pace, and he can separate from his man to get to his stepback regularly. The jumper is a work in progress, but he did hit 34 percent of his 3s on a difficult shot diet that featured a ton of contested looks.
Sam Vecenie, TheAthletic
The first thing that stands out about Whitmore’s game is his incredible vertical athleticism and physicality that helped him throw down 28 dunks in 26 games and finish 65.8% of his 114 shots at the rim. Turn on the tape and you will see shades of New Orleans Pelicans’ forward, Zion Williamson. That’s how explosive he is.
Dustin McLaughlin, SI.com
At 6’6”, some sites will have him anywhere between 6' 5” and 6’7”, Whitmore is a power wing. He combines bully tactics with grace in a way very few can. He drives through people’s chests and seeks out contact, but rarely looks out of control. He’s a two-foot leaper and is constantly on balance, yet still can explode up for a slam with his head at or above the rim. He dishes out punishment on nearly every drive and is rarely hampered by the insane amount of physicality he endures.
Adam Spinella, The Box and One
Cam Whitmore is a powerhouse of an athlete. The 6-7 forward is an elite above the rim player and one of the most powerful dunkers in his class. There’s no doubt about his athleticism and he’s already got an NBA ready frame. Whitmore can handle the ball in the open court, has a nice touch from mid range and in, and is developing his perimeter offense. He’s a very high energy player who defends all over the court and excels in transition. He’s an aggressive driver who puts a lot of pressure on the rim.
NBADraftRoom
Depending on how Cam Whitmore's self-creation evolves over the next five years, he could look like OG Anunoby or Jaylen Brown.
At this point, he still mostly relies on outstanding strength and explosiveness for scoring and racking up easy baskets. But he's also trending upward as a set shooter, and unless Whitmore totally struggles to improve his defensive IQ, his 6'7", 232-pound frame seems like a lock to help defensively and allow him to guard ball-handlers, wings and bigger forwards.
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
At this point, he still mostly relies on outstanding strength and explosiveness for scoring and racking up easy baskets. But he's also trending upward as a set shooter, and unless Whitmore totally struggles to improve his defensive IQ, his 6'7", 232-pound frame seems like a lock to help defensively and allow him to guard ball-handlers, wings and bigger forwards.
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
