Cam Whitmore, the Summer League MVP, averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and two assists. He shot 44.7% from the field through six games. Whitmore recorded three 20-point performances, including a league-best 26 points on July 13 in the Summer League. Although Whitmore’s stat line may seem very impressive, he still holds a grudge about his lower pick in the NBA draft.
Cam Whitmore was chosen by the Houston Rockets in the NBA Draft, but the talented Villanova player was taken with the 20th overall choice. After winning the lottery, the Rockets used their No. 4 pick to draft Amen Thompson.
“I’m human, so I definitely felt it was disrespectful at the end of the day,” Whitmore said in an interview after the draft. Recently, when asked about his motivation after winning the Summer League, Whitmore reacted to being disrespected at the NBA draft. “Most definitely. The way I was picked and disrespected from the start, from the beginning, I just have that chip on my shoulder and that motivation has allowed me to display my talents on the floor,” Cam told ClutchPoints.
The San Antonio Spurs, who acquired Victor Wembanyama, were the most successful team. After Thompson, the Houston Rockets also acquired Cam, who was expected to go much higher in the draft.
Why did Cam Whitmore slide to 20th?
During his first season with the Villanova Wildcats, Whitmore was named the Big East’s Top Freshman. For the Wildcats, he scored 12.5 points per game while pulling down 5.3 rebounds, and his draft position was predicted to be among the top 10. The young prospect had proven his potential at length before the draft.
ESPN reported that Whitmore’s decline was brought on by subpar training and unimpressive interviews. An anonymous executive opened up about Whitmore’s punctuality. “At the Hoops Summit, Whitmore was not a practice-type player and didn’t look very good during the week,” he said. Cam Whitmore’s “lack of feel” for the game was another issue other folks saw with him during the draft combine. To succeed in the NBA, Whitmore must sharpen his ‘decision-making’, a scout told Seth Davis of The Athletic.
Whitmore was once considered a lottery prospect before concerns about his health forced him to drop in the rankings. However, teams were definitely turned off by stories of problems during final sessions. The Summer League MVP was a fortuitous fall for the Rockets that they picked him at 20. He played with a grudge throughout the Summer League, and when the Rockets shut out Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason after the first two games, he took the opportunity to shine.
