Overview
Cam Whitmore arrived at Villanova as a consensus five-star recruit and was named the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2022-23. Whitmore appeared in 26 games, making 20 starts and posting 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats. He poured in a season-high 26 points against Xavier on Jan. 7, draining three 3-pointers and finishing 11-of-18 from the field while adding two rebounds and an assist. In Villanova’s Big East Tournament victory over Georgetown, Whitmore went for 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 28 minutes of action. As a high school senior, Whitmore was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. He also played for Team USA at the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in 2022, where he was named the MVP of the tournament.
Analysis
A strong, athletic wing who attacks the rim with ferocity, Whitmore projects as a true wing/small forward in the NBA. He’s well-developed, physically, for his age and has a 6-foot-8 wingspan, which should enable him to be a solid defender and rebounder at the next level. While Whitmore averaged less than 1.0 assist per game at Villanova, he’s a willing passer who was asked to function more as a score-first player in college. Whitmore will have to prove he can consistently shoot the three from NBA range, but it’s encouraging that he knocked down better than 34 percent of his attempts (4.2 3PA/G) in college.
Projection
A likely mid-lottery pick, Whitmore has the skillset and body to be an impact rotation player right away. Time will tell whether he can develop into a star-caliber player, but the talent is certainly there. In terms of an NBA comparison, Whitmore’s game resembles shades of Miles Bridges, Keldon Johnson and Jae Crowder.
— Profile by RotoWire