Cam Whitmore could just end up being the biggest steal of the 2023 NBA Draft. In the months leading up to the draft, Whitmore was regarded as a 5-star recruit and had the talent and stats to back it up. Regularly going among the top 5 picks in all mock drafts, it came as quite a shock when he was selected 20th overall by Houston.
Now after his latest game in the Summer League where he contributed a whopping 26 points and 8 steals, it’s become quite clear that the Houston Rockets took the right gamble. They already grabbed Amen Thompson with the 4th pick and Whitmore was the best fit for the roster considering their understaffed 3 position.
Cam Whitmore averaged a 20 point double double in high school
Whitmore was quite the stat sheet stuffer in high school. His splits in high school explain the reason he was recruited to a school as prestigious in the basketball world as Villanova. Cam averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.3 assists per game.
Quite the statistical ensemble for a high school player. As evidenced by the 1.6 steals, Whitmore has always had a knack for breaking an opponent’s handle and forcing them to give up the ball. He is also an expert at trapping ball-handlers in tight spaces and forcing a turnover that way.
In college, Cam’s scoring fell off to a decent extent as did his rebounding but this is to be expected. The college game is much different with not a lot of room for the “hero-ball” we see in high school and in the NBA. Whitmore did however maintain his defensive qualities on their perimeter.
He averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.7 assists per game playing for the Wildcats. Whitmore’s biggest weakness is his passing/play-making skills. He doesn’t see the floor very well and struggles to set up teammates for easy buckets. Although this is a big weakness it’s the type of skill that can be developed in the NBA.