Tier: Franchise Changer

Player Comparisons: OG Anunoby, Desmond Bane

Cam Whitmore is one of the youngest prospects in the draft. He’ll still be 18 on draft night. He’s an NBA-level athlete with the body to match. Whitmore is the best wing in the class. He can get to the rim at any time and he’s great at scoring off the dribble. Whitmore’s been posterizing people since high school and he's an amazing athlete. He seems to have a nose for pulling down rebounds, especially on the offensive side. He’s always in the right place at the right time. Whitmore has improved a ton as a shooter throughout his high school and college years. He’s got an interesting jump shot if you can even call it that. He doesn’t really get off the ground. He’s not a great dribbler or ball-handler. He's ok as a defender. He prefers making moves like stepbacks to his left side which often benefits him.

18.95 year-old 6'7 SF/PF. 2-Way Slasher. As an explosive athlete and versatile defender, Whitmore has a place in the league. His ceiling depends upon the improvement of his jumpshot and handles. Both have potential, but Whitmore is not currently a good shot creator. However, even if he can just be a catch-and-shoot threat, with his athleticism and ability to defend multiple positions, he should have a long NBA career ahead of him.

Strengths:

++Explosiveness

++Bounce

++Versatility

+Passing

+Defensive Instincts

+Age

Weaknesses:

--Shot Creation

-Offensive Consistency

-Offensive Bag

-Shot Blocking

Shades Of:

Miles Bridges, Jae Crowder, Aaron Gordon

Ceiling: All-Star, 2-Way Slashing Playmaker

Floor: Bench, Slasher

Team Fit:

Whitmore offers athleticism and versatility at the forward spot, but his interior defense and shooting will be a work in progress. His ideal landing spot has the patience and ability to develop him and minutes available for him to adjust to the NBA.

Best fits within range: Indiana, Utah, Portland

Projected draft pick:3-7

Projected NBA rookie role: slasher that will take a little too much 3's that we flip from on to off the bench

Strengths: Cam is bouncy as hell and one of the most athletic players in this years draft class, he is an improved 3pt shooter, his handle is good enough to make a quick move to attack or pull up, and defensive versatility seems ready-made for the modern NBA

Weakness: shooting needs to improve, needs to advanced, not a passer, has no go to moves, and still raw defensively

Shades of/comp: Aaron Gordon/Miles Bridges with potential to be better

Best outcome: All star play with the ability to sneak in the all nba team, 2 option on a champion ship team.

mid outcome: average starter that can get buckets at the rim but not from 3

worst outcome: offence cant transition to the nba and become a defensive liability

Overview

Strengths: [ Athleticism, feel for the game, and versatility. ]

Weaknesses: [ Turnovers, ball handling, and shot creation. ]

Summary: [ Really versatile athlete that has a great motor and frame, has shown star potential on both ends of the floor. ]

Player analysis

Cam Whitmore was a huge riser from the FIBA U19 tournament this past summer. He ended up coming away from the experience with winning the MVP over other top high school/draft prospects like Dereck Lively and Nick Smith Jr. Cam is this really unique ultra versatile player who is very much positionless which makes him an ideal player for this modern era of dynamicity. He is a really talented athlete who isn’t afraid to impose his physical traits upon his opponents. He is one of the most explosive players we’ve seen over the past few years off of two feet. He can use his strong frame and stature at 6’8” to bully smaller wings and he uses his finesse and touch to weave around bigger forwards. His ability to accelerate makes him a deadly transition threat that can’t be stopped once he gets going. Cam’s overall motor is insane and that paired with the fact that he is this big bruising forward that can zoom past any player on the court is what truly defines him as a menacing force not to be reckoned with. His start and stop capability is really special but sometimes he can get a little janky and out of control. He has a hard time maintaining a stable handle when driving downhill which can lead to turnovers but he can get the ball down the court and score effectively. His shot isn’t quite there but he has displayed some upside there over the course of the year at Villanova. He was a solid shooter in highschool and has been okay in college but he hasn’t been a reliable source of spacing. He isn’t the type to generate offense on the perimeter as he’s been very inconsistent in smaller sample sizes. He works best when trying to score in the open court or as an on ball slasher. The shot does need to develop but I would also like for him to develop more of a bag in the post and expand his capability of scoring there in tricky situations. Cam is a very willing passer and has an unselfishness to him but it’s clear there’s not really a playmaking feel built there yet. He’s good at getting the ball around but I don’t see him being a real distributor due to lack of feel in that aspect and the lack of real spacing to initiate half court offense. Similar to his offense, his defense is also very versatile. He is a very nice interior stopper and is a deterrent for anyone on the inside. His aforementioned speed allows him to keep pace with anybody and it’s rare that he gets beat. Cam’s inexperience and occasional tunnel vision has made him a streaky perimeter defender but he has all the tools necessary to be great at it and has shown flashes. He's good at anticipating what’s going to happen next. He knows when to come in as a shot blocker and when to go for the passing lane. He fights over screens well and is an overall physical defender. Cam knows how to stop drives to the basket and will rough up his defender using his bulkier build if needed. At Villanova he has slowly been integrated into a bigger and bigger role offensively as he improves each and every game. He has been fighting for and earning more opportunities as he proves himself as a reliable player for their system. He does all of the little things right such as hustling down the court and rebounding the ball with effort. Cam has shown that he is a great talent that can work in a variety of roles in many different schemes due to his versatility on both ends of the floor. Villanova is a great way to prepare himself for the NBA style of play as they have been known for the way they mirror modern and trendy playstyles in the league. The school has generated a lot of pro talent and getting a player with Cam’s level of upside could make him really special. Teams should be eager to buy into his potential as a super versatile athletic freak. If a franchise can fix the small easy mistakes like his handle, turnovers, and mental lapses, then he could become a cornerstone piece. He has all the flashes of a winning player in the league already at such a young age and can be a star in this league if he can find a way to make the game around him slow down.

Projection

Draft range: [ 3 - 7 ]

Shades of: [ Andrew Wiggins, Rudy Gay, and Jonathan Kuminga. ]

Through the McDonald’s All American game to the U18 America’s tournament, one player has stood out time and time again: Whitmore. In my opinion he should have been the McDonald’s game MVP, and he was the U18 Americas MVP. Unfortunately, we’ll miss Whitmore for some of this college season with a thumb injury, but he’s put such impressive performances in thus far that I’d be ok taking a top five swing at him even with less tape and a possibly rusty, recovering from injury freshman season.

I could understand skeptic’s of Whitmore. Many bouncy/wing-forwards have stood out on the high school circuit. But I think he has the craft and body control as a dribbler to break through that mold. Not to mention, his shot, while being a little mechanical, looks excellent as well. To really weaponize it at the NBA level, he might have to speed it up a bit, but it’s competent enough to have defenders not give him lots of room, which gives him all the more room for his main skill, which is finishing at the basket. His bounciness, combined with his strength, dexterity and body control in the air and in the paint make me really confident in his ability to score in the NBA regardless of whether a team will anoint him a star right away.

I genuinely believe Whitmore could be the unique kind of player who is one of the best finishers at the basket despite not playing the center position.

Cam Whitmore is, pound for pound, maybe the most impressive and powerful athlete in this class. His frame and physicality are very uncommon in players of his age. He lives above the rim and explodes on take off with ease. Whitmore has really started to develop his perimeter game to pair with that elite rim attacking ability. As he continues to improve his shot I would expect him to garnish more and more top 5 talk going forward. He also defends very well and brings big time energy at that end of the court, lending to the idea of him being a potential elite 2 way wing. His biggest knock right now is probably his lack of creation for others as well as his shot selection; both justifiable concerns. I will admit that I give a lot of credence to the fact that he is a Villanova product. I don't know how Jay Wright does it but he produces NBA contributing talent like its a walk in the park. I will always bet on a player coming out of that system having, at very least, a very high floor. With Whitmore's impressive potential that makes him a very high prospect for me.

Player Comps: Jerry Stackhouse