Future lottery pick Cam Whitmore will play in Capital One Arena tonight as Villanova plays Georgetown

Villanova is in town to play Georgetown tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena. Why is this relevant on a Wizards’ blog? Well, Villanova’s freshman forward Cam Whitmore is a likely top-10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

If the season ended today, the Wizards would have the tenth pick in the draft, or at least the 10th best lottery odds. Hopefully, their entire scouting department is in attendance tonight in their home arena as Whitmore is exactly the type of athletic wing the Wizards should be interested in.

According to Rookie Scale’s Consensus Big Board, which averages out the draft predictions of major draft analysts, Cam Whitmore is being projected to go fifth overall currently. Tankathon has him slotted at 8th at the time of this writing, which seems more realistic given his slow start to the season.

Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images

Whitmore is a 6’7 wing from Odenton, MD. He attended Archbishop Spalding High School and was one of the top recruits in the country. He missed the first several games of the college season recovering from surgery to the thumb on his shooting hand but is now starting to round into form.

In 7 games played, Whitmore is averaging 11.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. He’s only hitting 28.6% of his three-pointers so far but some of that might be due to the thumb injury. He’s making 82.4% of his free throws, which is typically a good indicator of long-term shooting success.

Based on historical data and a player’s percentages, Tankathon projects what a player is likely to shoot from the NBA three-point line. They currently project Whitmore to be a 36.5% three-point shooter in the NBA. His form isn’t the most fluid as it’s almost kind of a set shot, but he shot well at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship before his injury.

Whitmore is a strong, physical player and an explosive leaper. The FIBA games referenced above were basically a dunk contest for him as he seemingly spent the entire time throwing down the hardest transition dunks I’ve probably ever seen. He dunks like he’s angry at the rim.

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

At the high school level, he got to the rim at will and was adept at finishing through contact. His ball handling will need to continue to improve as his first step alone won’t be enough for him to beat high-level NBA defenders. But he’s got a great feel for the game and gets himself involved by being a smart cutter and relentlessly attacking the offensive glass.

His combination of basketball IQ, strength, and athleticism are the main reasons why he projects as a plus-defender and rebounder. Whitmore’s likely going to be able to guard 2 through 4 in the NBA and that positional versatility alone will be intriguing to teams.

I will be in attendance tonight for two reasons. The first is to scout Whitmore in person so I can do a more in-depth profile of him on the Bleav in Wizards podcast this week. The other is to see if anyone from the Wizards’ front office is in attendance. I know where Georgetown typically seats scouts for their games so hopefully, I see some familiar faces.