Kyle Lowry, more recently Saddiq Bey, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Mikal Bridges or even Jalen Brunson, all share the same thing in common: they were trained in Villanova for at least two seasons before signing solid careers in the NBA.
This group should join at the start of the school year Cam Whitmore, the youngest in the lineage of the Philadelphia suburban Wildcats. But unlike his elders, the young winger from Maryland will be a “one-and-done”.
Occasionally from an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Villanova’s “freshman” has effectively confirmed what has been fully expected for months: he is registering for the 2023 Draft, formalizing the return of a “one-and-done” to the ranks of the program. The last was Tim Thomas in 1997, chosen 7th overall by the Nets before being traded in stride to the Sixers…
After missing the first month of the season due to a right thumb injury, Cam Whitmore then struggled to find his stride and show his qualities. Among them: a crazy physical profile which will transpose very easily to the NBA (2m01 for 105 kilos), associated with a dribble already at the point which allows him to attack the circle and to finish there with relative ease.
In the radius of progress points: shooting, or rather the selection of shots because its mechanics are very clean and rather fluid, and defense. Particularly his positioning in a collective defense, because individually, his athletic qualities make him a player with high defensive potential on the man.
In short, Cam Whitmore is a winger full of potential, whose ceiling is very high. Behind the pair Victor Wembanyama – Scoot Henderson and the twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, he is probably the best player available in this 2023 Draft. Moreover, The Athletic places him in 5th position in their last “Mock Draft”.
