2023NBADraftFeatures

Wheat Hotchkiss

Cam Whitmore has been dreaming of being drafted to the NBA since he was five years old. In less than three weeks, that dream will become a reality.

Where Whitmore ends up is still to be determined, but after his pre-draft workout at the Ascension St. Vincent Center on Thursday, the 18-year-old former Villanova wing took some time to envision what it would be like to don a Pacers uniform, running the break and catching lobs from All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

"I definitely can fit in," Whitmore said of his potential fit with the Pacers, who have the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

"I'm all about moving the ball up the floor, kicking the ball up the floor, running up the floor, getting transition dunks, getting transition threes, getting offense quickly. I'm all about that."

Whitmore was the first projected lottery pick to visit Indiana for a pre-draft workout. It was also his first workout for an NBA team. He was scheduled to visit Utah (who owns the ninth overall pick) next, but didn't know his schedule beyond that.

It doesn't take long studying Whitmore to see why he is a projected top 10 pick. Though he is one of the youngest players in this year's draft class (he won't turn 19 until July 8), Whitmore is also one of the most developed physically. He measured at 6-6 and 235 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine last month in Chicago and showed off his athleticism with a 40.5-inch vertical, tied for the third-best mark at the combine.

Whitmore thrives at the rim, using his physical gifts to score both in the halfcourt and in transition. He would provide another weapon for Haliburton and Indiana's high-octane offense, which ranked fifth in the NBA in pace last season.

Most players projected to be picked as high as Whitmore elect to take part in one-on-one workouts. It's a different dynamic from the six-player group workouts the Pacers hold at other times during the pre-draft process, but still allows the team to get an up-close look at players and put them through drills to see how they perform in different situations.

Whitmore said Thursday's workout focused heavily on his decision-making in pick-and-rolls and shooting threes in transition. The latter area is Whitmore's biggest focus during the pre-draft process.

He shot a respectable 34.3 percent from 3-point range in his lone season at Villanova, but was inconsistent with his performance from beyond the arc. Whitmore made three or more threes in six games, but also struggled at other times. He went 0-for-8 from long distance over a three-game stretch over Christmas and 5-for-24 over another drought from Feb. 4-21.

"I definitely could have shot the ball a lot better off the bounce," Whitmore said when reflecting on his time in college. "I think I was 27 percent off the dribble. Catch-and-shoot, I was kind of high, I was 40 percent. So off the dribble threes, combo moves to a shot, that's something I've got to improve on."

Whitmore felt he shot the ball well in Thursday's workout. In one clip posted on social media, he knocked down seven straight threes.

Developing consistency with his shot will be key to Whitmore's success at the next level, but he has all the physical tools to thrive in the NBA. The Maryland native was named Big East Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game last season. Prior to arriving at Villanova, he helped lead USA Basketball to a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, where he was chosen as Most Outstanding Player from a talented roster that also featured other potential 2023 first-round picks Anthony Black and GG Jackson.

Whitmore said the NBA players he views as having similar games to his includes Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Miles Bridges.

The Pacers struck gold with another physically gifted wing last year, taking Bennedict Mathurin with the sixth overall pick. You can never have enough talent on the wing, particularly with a player like Haliburton running the point, and the Pacers could double down by drafting someone like Whitmore.

Other than their physical gifts, Whitmore also seems to carry a similar confidence as Mathurin. After Thursday's workout, he was asked about auditioning in front of an audience that included Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who is back with the Pacers as a consultant.

"That's a three-time MVP, (NBA champion)," Whitmore said. "That's the GOAT legend right there. I'm very grateful for him. That's a pleasure for him to come out and watch me. Especially when I'm by myself, too, so it's just him watching me."

As a follow-up, Whitmore was asked if Bird's presence brought out any extra nerves. He smiled when answered.

"I never fold under pressure," he said. "Never."

Whitmore said he was taking the pre-draft process step by step, which is why he didn't know his schedule for the next few weeks beyond his next stop. But he occasionally allows his mind to drift to June 22 and what it will be like to see his dream come true.

"I definitely cannot wait until that night (when) my name gets called and me walking on that stage, have the lights shining down on me and just realizing, 'Yeah, I made it. I'm here,'" he said.

Could he be wearing a Pacers hat when he walks across the Barclays Center stage? Only time will tell.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Cam Whitmore One-on-One Interview (June 1, 2023)

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Whitmore First Likely Lottery Pick to Audition in Indiana

The Pacers didn't move up in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, but they didn't move down either. Indiana stayed right where it was in the pre-lottery odds, ending up slotting seventh in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The San Antonio Spurs won the number one pick in this year's lottery, the first time San Antonio has drafted first overall since taking Tim Duncan in 1997. The Pacers still have never had the number one pick.

After not picking in the top 10 of the NBA Draft from 1989-2021, the Pacers will now pick in the top seven for the second straight season. Indiana used the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to select Bennedict Mathurin, who was named to the All-Rookie first team after a stellar debut season.

Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton represented Indiana on the stage at this year's lottery, which didn't have any real upheaval until the top five picks. The teams sixth through 14th in the pre-lottery odds stayed where they were, but Detroit -- which entered the lottery tied with Houston and San Antonio for the top odds of landing the number one pick -- slipped to fifth.

Houston finished fourth in the lottery, Portland will draft third, Charlotte second, and the Spurs first.

"It was cool," Haliburton said of representing Indiana on the lottery telecast. "They came to me kind of towards the end of the season, asked me if I'd do it. Just good to be here. I've always wanted to be involved in something like this. Hopefully I don't have too many of these in my future."

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard was in the sequestered room where the actual lottery drawing took place. Pritchard said the Pacers were very close to having the four-number combination that won the first pick, but the final ping pong ball didn't bounce their way.

"We hit the first three out of four numbers," Pritchard said. "We had a chance. My heart was racing. I was pretty excited, but we didn’t get the last number. That went to San Antonio."

The Pacers own two additional picks in the first round of this year's draft -- the 26th and 29th overall selections. Indiana also has two second round picks -- the 32nd and 55th overall picks. San Antonio finishing ahead of Houston in the lottery was fortuitous for the Pacers because it meant Indiana received the 32nd pick instead of the 50th thanks to a complicated series of trade protections.

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Kevin Pritchard Media Availability (May 16, 2023)

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Pacers Receive Seventh Pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

The Pacers have drafted the AP Pac-12 Player of the Year two years in a row, taking Chris Duarte with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and Bennedict Mathurin with the sixth overall pick in 2022.

We won't know until draft night where Jaime Jaquez, the latest Pac-12 Player of the Year, will end up, but he was in Indiana on Friday for the Pacers' first pre-draft workout.

Jaquez, UConn guard Andre Jackson Jr., and Missouri forward Kobe Brown headlined a group that also included Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma, Lithuanian guard Liutaurus Lelevicius, and North Dakota State center Grant Nelson. Those six prospects went through testing and drills in front of the Pacers front office, coaches, and scouts at the Ascension St. Vincent Center.

All but Lelevicius will be heading to Chicago shortly for the NBA Draft Combine, which begins on Monday. The NBA Draft Lottery will also take place in Chicago on  Tuesday, where the Pacers will find out where their top pick falls in this year's draft, which will take place on June 22. Indiana could pick anywhere from first through fourth or seventh through 11th, depending on how the ping pong balls bounce in the lottery. The Blue & Gold also own two additional first round picks -- the 26th and 29th overall selections -- and two second round picks.

Jaquez, a 6-7 forward, is well known to college basketball fans from his four years at UCLA. He really emerged on the national scene in Indianapolis as a sophomore, when the entire NCAA Tournament was held in Central Indiana due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaquez scored 27 points in an overtime win over Michigan State in the First Four and then helped lead the Bruins on a surprise run to the Final Four.

He took on more responsibility every year in college, increasing his scoring average each season. As a senior, Jaquez averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals, recording 10 double-doubles. He earned his degree this last season and leaves UCLA in high standing at one of the most tradition-rich programs, ranking eighth in school history in both points and steals and 11th in rebounds.

Jaquez said Friday that he naturally grew into a leadership role over his time with the Bruins. He is particularly proud of his development on the defensive end and thinks he can show teams that he can be a "3-and-D" type player at the next level who can shoot and defend "at an elite level."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Jaime Jaquez One-on-One Interview (May 12, 2023)

"I understand you're back to being a freshman or a rookie now," Jaquez said. "I know what it takes to do what I can to get on the floor and I'm just looking forward to doing that. Playing hard, getting rebounds, doing the little things I need to get playing time."

Jaquez is Mexican-American and has played for the Mexican National Team in the past. He knows that making the NBA would hold extra significance for Mexican fans. Juan Toscano-Anderson was the only Mexican-American to play in the NBA last season and only five players of Mexican heritage have ever reached the league.

"I think it'd be huge," Jaquez said. "I think it'd be very big for the community. It's not something that happens every day, so I'm hoping to make people proud."

Jaquez credited his time at UCLA and in particular the experience he garnered from the Bruins' deep tournament runs with preparing him for the NBA because he has played in a lot of high-stakes games with a lot on the line. That experience should serve him well heading into the pressure of the combine and the pre-draft process.

That should also hold true for Jackson, who is coming off leading UConn to a national championship. A 6-6 wing, Jackson was the heart and soul of the Huskies team that stormed through the NCAA Tournament, winning all of its games by double digits en route to capturing the title.

Jackson did a little bit of everything for UConn as a junior. His scoring average won't turn any heads at 6.7 points per game, but he regularly stuffed the stat sheet. He flirted with a triple-double several times during the tournament run -- including an eight-point, nine-rebound, 10-assist performance in a 28-point drubbing of Gonzaga in the Elite Eight -- and averaged 6.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists over the course of the tourney. He also was the Huskies' top perimeter defender, taking on tough assignments every night on that end.

Jackson earned tremendous praise from head coach Dan Hurley for both his versatility and his leadership. Jackson said Friday that he prides himself in being "a connector" and "a glue guy" that will do whatever is needed to help his team.

"My ability to adapt to any situation, I think the little things that I do on the court, they'll translate to any level of basketball, whether it's professional or college," Jackson said. "Rebounding the ball, making deflections, getting my teammates involved -- I think the things that I do on the court definitely translate to this level well."

Jackson's defensive strengths are especially intriguing to the Pacers, who are looking to improve significantly on that end next season.

"If you go out there and you play defense, coach is going to put you on the court," Jackson said. "That's definitely one of the biggest things I bring to the game, if not the biggest. That's something that I'm locked into every single time I take the court."

UConn started last season 14-0, but went through a rough patch early in Big East play, dropping six of eight games from Dec. 31 to Jan. 25. It was Jackson that helped steady the ship and get the team back in a groove heading into March. The rest is, well, history.

"The turning point was just finding our groove as a team, really just getting everybody locked in and on the same page again," Jackson said of the turnaround. "After a tough January, we were a little bit out of sorts. So me as the leader, I just had to get everybody back on the same page. And it took a few games, it took us a couple losses to learn from it as well.

"Every day in practice, just trying to get everybody on the same page on and off the court, making sure we're all working towards one goal and that we had the confidence to go out there and take the court."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Andre Jackson Jr. One-on-One Interview (May 12, 2023)

Brown was the oldest of the six prospects at Friday's workout. Born on the first day of the 21st century (Jan. 1, 2000), he is 23 and will turn 24 during his rookie season. But even though he is older, it isn't hard to see why scouts are intrigued with what Brown brings to the table.

At 6-8 and 250 pounds, Brown has an imposing physical frame, but the versatility to play several positions. He was a point guard in college and handled the ball often while at Missouri, but also had the ability to attack the rim or score on the low block.

Brown was an All-SEC selection as a senior, averaging 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 55.3 percent from the field. But the biggest development last season for Brown that could have him potentially climbing up draft boards was his tremendous improvement from 3-point range.

After shooting 25 percent or worse from beyond the arc in each of his first three college seasons, Brown's percentage skyrocketed to 45.3 percent last season even as he hoisted nearly 40 more attempts than he had in any previous year. Brown shot the ball so well, he was the only player in the country to make over 55 percent of his field goals and 40 percent of his 3-point shots.

"Definitely repetition and just confidence from my coaching staff, teammates just forcing me to shoot the ball even when I feel like I'm not open in practice," Brown said of his improvement. "They were just constantly telling me to shoot the ball. There was times literally in the beginning of the season (that) they would stop practice if I didn't shoot the ball, even if I wasn't open.

"It's hard to miss when you have that much support and confidence behind you. I just ran with it ever since."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Kobe Brown One-on-One Interview (May 12, 2023)

If Brown's shooting improvement can carry over, teams would definitely covet a player his size that can knock down shots.

He put up big numbers in one of the top conferences in the nation, with some of his top performances coming against top competition. Brown had 31 and 30 points in consecutive wins over Illinois and Kentucky in December, and topped 20 points in five more SEC games in 2023, including two games against Tennessee.

"Our coaches call it the NBA South," Brown said. "Guys are huge, physical, they're strong, they're athletic and bring skill. And guards are quick and strong as well. Being able to play against that type of physicality, it helps prepare a lot of guys for the next level I feel like. And I really feel like it's helped prepare me over the past four years."

Kaluma, Nelson Hoping to Turn Heads at Combine

The NCAA's decision to grant student-athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic an extra year of eligibility has made tracking players' draft decisions a little more complex. Technically, all five college prospects at Friday's workout are early entrants and only Jaquez has fully committed to staying in the draft, with the others all leaving the door open to potentially return to school (early entrants have until June 1 to withdraw their name from the draft).

Kaluma and Nelson both have an even more interesting decision, as they have both decided to enter their names in the transfer portal while simultaneously going through the pre-draft process. While they could suit up for a different school next fall, strong showings at the combine and in pre-draft workouts could also sway them to turn pro.

Kaluma is an athletic, 6-7 wing who was a two-year starter at Creighton, averaging 11.8 points and 6 rebounds last season as a sophomore while helping the Bluejays reach the Elite Eight.

Kaluma felt that he really "turned it up on the defensive end" over the last year, embracing his role as a lock-down defender. He hopes to carve out a similar niche at the next level.

"Coming in, you're not going to get every single opportunity that you want, so you've got to make your statement somewhere," he said. "I can do it on the defensive end."

Kaluma kept up with the Pacers while at Creighton because his teammate Ryan Nembhard is the younger brother of Andrew Nembhard, who just finished up his rookie season in Indiana.

The Nembhards aren't the only brothers with a strong basketball lineage, however. Kaluma had the unique experience of facing off against his older brother Adam Seiko, who plays for San Diego State, in the Elite Eight. It was actually the second straight year they faced off in the tournament, as Creighton beat San Diego State in the first round in 2022.

Big brother came out on top this year, as the Aztecs advanced to the Final Four with a 57-56 victory, but it was a day that both brothers and their mother will never forget.

"It was amazing," Kaluma said. "It's a blessing to be able to play against my brother in the tournament. It was a blessing my freshman year, but to do it again this following year was something special. I'm glad my family got to experience that."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Arthur Kaluma One-on-One Interview (May 12, 2023)

Nelson has spent three years in relative anonymity at North Dakota State, but the 6-11 big man has plenty of skill. He averaged 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists last season as a junior.

Look Nelson up on YouTube and you won't see a prototypical plodding college big man. Nelson regularly handled the ball on the perimeter for the Bison, and his highlights feature several clips of him maneuvering his way to the rim and throwing down a monster jam.

"Me being versatile, being able to play more than one position, I think that's scary for matchups," Nelson said. "I work on that for those particular moments. If a big is guarding me, I can take them on the perimeter with my handle. If a small guy's guarding me, I can take them in the post.

"I think it gives me an advantage over a lot of guys with my height."

Nelson is working hard on improving his 3-point shot (he shot 35.6 percent on limited attempts as a freshman, but just 26.9 percent last season). He also has a lot of excitement for the combine, which offers the first-team All-Summit League player a chance to show how he stacks up against more heralded players from bigger conferences.

"That's a big thing about me is they say I didn't play against too great competition," he said. "It's a good opportunity for me to go show my skill and hopefully play my best while it's on a bigger stage."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Grant Nelson One-on-One Interview (May 12, 2023)

Lelevicius Hoping to Be Latest Lithuanian to Reach NBA

Lelevicius was the only international prospect and also the youngest player at Friday's workout. A 19-year-old, 6-7 combo guard Lelevicius has been playing for Zalgiris, one of the top clubs in Lithuania.

Lelevicius described himself as a big guard who can score from outside or attack the rim. He has played primarily with Zalgiris' reserve team so far in his career, which competes in the second division of Lithuania's pro league. He averaged 15 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 38 games last season, shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range. He also appeared in eight games for Zalgiris' top team last season.

Lelevicius said his favorite player currently in the NBA is Jayson Tatum, who he admires for his length and scoring ability. Of course, he also keeps tabs on Lithuania's top talents in the NBA, including former Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis, and takes great pride in representing his home country.

"It is great," Lelevicius said of being the latest Lithuanian to audition for NBA teams. "I always wanted to have a journey with the "Lietuva" name on it. It is great to have these colors (on) when the anthem goes before the game."

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