NBA Comparison: Caron Butler/Jae Crowder

Stengths: Whitmore is a physically imposing young swingman with his 6’6 230 lb frame … Has at least adequate length with a sturdy build that will make his adjustment to the grown man leagues relatively seamless from a physical standpoint … Outstanding athleticism as well; gets up the floor in a hurry and has the explosive 2-footed leaping ability (whether on his 1st or 2nd jump) & powerful base to snag the ball at its apex even through contact … Shows very good body control … At his best going downhill as a driver; applies great pressure on the defense when operating with a head of steam (12.5 ppg on 47.8 FG% as a Fr) … Nice 1st step gives him advantages when matched up with bigger frontcourt players in space, and he has the wide frame to shield defenders and get angles early & with ease when slashing to the lane against smaller wings … Gets plenty of strong above the rim finishes and is among the best perimeter players in this draft class at converting in the paint amongst the trees (58 FG% inside the arc) … Has more finesse as a finisher than most would expect as well; being able to slither and contort into congested areas/around contests in the paint that are uncommon for burlier built wings in his mold..Effective off the ball and locates open spots as a cutter to get himself high percentage looks … Competitive and energetic; willing to match up and mix it up with bigger players in the paint … Has the physical tools and play style to see minutes anywhere from SG-PF at the pro level as he gains experience and polish … A “one move and go” penetrator who gets low and attacks when he sees daylight similarly to a running back … Patient; can freeze defenders with subtle hesitation moves and was effective slashing in either direction as a Fr … Not a bad shooter with his feet set (34 3FG%), and even utilizes jab steps to create space for shots off the bounce with reasonable success … Willing defender who denies penetration pretty well and actively contests shots … Shoots passing lanes (1.4 spg) and strips loose ball-handlers at the point of attack as well, showing strong hands … Will put up a fight before allowing players to establish position in the mid and low post; shows a junkyard dog mentality and embodies positionless basketball with his versatility…Solid rebounder for a primary wing (5.3 rpg) … An asset in the open court…A “young” Fr. who will turn 19 just after the 2023 Draft

Weaknesses: His floor game is a bit rough around the edges right now; too often did not look comfortable creating efficient shots for himself let alone others as a Fr … Will slash into the lane with either no plan or pre-determined plans too often, leading to bad shots or the occasional turnover … Relies heavily on his physical and athletic ability to contribute, and it can be a struggle for him to fit in the flow of the game when you take away his strengths … Teams started to collapse on him when he slashed more & more as the season progressed, and his inexperience handling added attention showed in the way of him over-dribbling into no man’s land or having to shoot over multiple defenders suffocating his airspace … Average ball-handling skills; doesn’t have much wiggle or misdirection to his game off the dribble … Would benefit greatly from adding a floater/pull-up J to his repertoire to make his game less predictable; almost exclusively either shoots 3s or tries to barrel his way into the lane for better or worse … Doesn’t get much elevation on his shot and has a deliberate release, which limits the types of shots he can take and makes him easier for defenders to contest … His patience with the ball can straddle with being too deliberate; was often an indecisive ball-stopper who stagnated the team’s offensive flow this past season … Got his shots blocked more than you’d expect for someone with his tools … Below average court vision and doesn’t pass the ball much at all, with some around Villanova at times accusing him of being a selfish player (0.7 apg/1.4 topg) … Defensive awareness and overall fundamentals are a work in progress; tends to be overzealous looking to create turnovers and gave up more open shots than you’d like to see this past season by lunging for steals or losing his assignment when navigating through bodies … Somewhat stiff laterally, more of a straight-line mover … Only got to the FT line 64 times in 26 games (2.5 FTA/G) and converted on a mediocre 70% of those attempts … Not the sum of his parts yet, still green …

Overall: Cam Whitmore is a 6’6 230 SF who committed to Villanova as a consensus 5-star recruit out of HS, and entered the 2022-2023 season with fanfare after winning MVP of the FIBA U18 tournament and leading the East in scoring (19 points) in a McDonalds AA game win … He suffered a preseason thumb injury that caused him to miss 7 games and seemingly contributed to an up-and-down Fr. season in nonconference and the Big East slate for a Nova team that was in Year 1 of the Kyle Neptune era after the retirement of the legendary long-time coach Jay Wright … Whitmore used his high-flying athleticism and physical style of play to lock up Big East Freshman of the Year honors putting up over 12 ppg and 5 rpg over 26 games … You cannot teach his physical/athletic tools, and he has promising ability as a spot-up shooter and off-ball player, as well as his overall toughness, willingness to rebound and defend the point of attack … He does show inexperience on both ends as well and may never be a primary scoring option that you’d expect if you’re selecting him in the top half of the lottery given some of the limitations with his shooting platform and creativity off the bounce, but he certainly has the upside to be a key, versatile role player if a team is patient with him and allows him time and reps to add polish and develop his floor game and fundamentals …

Notes: Measured 6′ 5.75” barefoot, 8′ 7.50” standing reach, 235 lbs and a 6′ 8.50” wingspan and a 31.5 inch standing vertical and a 40.5′ inch max vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 4/26/23

Strengths: 6’7 explosive wing … Good strength level and build … Consistent high effort, energy, and tenacity … Explosive athlete, pops off the ground quickly, and translates it well on both ends. Finishes dunks when taking off and jumping from a distance. Jumps well off one or both feet and a highlight finisher, especially in transition. Good body control … Aggressive slasher and handles contact very well while driving to his left or right, tough to stop when attacking down-hill. Uses strength to finish inside, isn’t afraid to bully defenders and utilize his physical mismatch. Good combination of strength and swift feet … Solid ball-handler, can start the offense after a rebound and shows some ability to lead in transition. Can create offense off the dribble and consistent scorer. Averaged 15.7 points per game on 50.3% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2021 and finished 2^nd in scoring at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 with 18.7 points per game on 63% FG% … Talented shot maker, can hit shots off the dribble, and when contested. 3PT shooting improved over his senior year. After only shooting 21.6% 3PT% on 3.4 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL in 2021, he shot 45.5% 3PT% on 3.7 3PT attempts per game at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 … Tough, competitive, and versatile defender. Gets up quick and blocks shots well for position. Averaged 1.4 blocks per game over the Nike EYBL in 2021 … Good rebounder for position on both ends. Averaged 7.7 rebounds (2.8 offensive) per game over the Nike EYBL in 2021 and 6.3 per game over the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 … Solid passing ability … Younger for his class, turned 18 in July after high school graduation …

Weaknesses: Hasn’t been a good free throw shooter. Shot 45.7% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2021 and 62.5% FT% over the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 … Can expand scoring arsenal as he’s a bit reliant on talent and natural physical/athletic gifts … Can improve playmaking. Averaged 1.6 assists to 2.3 turnovers per game over the Nike EYBL in 2021 and 1.7 assists to 1.7 turnovers per game over the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 …

Outlook: Incoming Villanova freshman … Scored 19 points (9-15 FG) and passed out 5 assists in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game … Scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and passed out 4 assists at the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic … Scored 19 (7-8 FG, 2-3 3PT) points in 15 minutes of play in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit … 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year … MVP of the 2022 U18 Americas Championship …

Evan Tomes 7/18/22