Houston Rockets select Cam Whitmore in 2023 NBA Draft

After one highlight-filled season at Villanova, Cam Whitmore is off to the big leagues. The Houston Rockets drafted the 6-foot-7 forward with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Analysts aren’t surprised. Whitmore is an NBA prototype. Weighing in at 232 pounds, Whitmore boasts an NBA-ready physique with the skills to back it up. In his lone season at Villanova, Whitmore averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc.

Wildcats fans weren’t the only ones who took notice of Whitmore’s fantastic first season. The Big East named Whitmore the 2023 Big East Freshman of the Year. Whitmore recorded a career-high 26 points against a veteran Xavier squad on January 7.

Whitmore was a five-star recruit and the No. 10 player in the nation in the Class of 2022, according to On3 Industry Rankings. Further, Whitmore was the No. 1 prospect in the class from Maryland. The highly-touted recruit earned his ranking.

Whitmore averaged 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game during his senior year at Archbishop Spalding, leading his team to the semifinals of both the MIAA A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League tournaments and a 25-10 record.

Whitmore’s fantastic figures earned him the 2022 Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award, along with McDonald’s All-American honors. The ambidextrous forward was also a two-time Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year and played in the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Cam Whitmore

Experts seem confident Whitmore can replicate his previous successes on a professional scale.

“[Whitmore is] a strong, athletic wing who attacks the rim with ferocity, Whitmore projects as a true wing/small forward in the NBA. He’s well-developed, physically, for his age and has a 6-foot-8 wingspan, which should enable him to be a solid defender and rebounder at the next level,” according to NBA.com.

“While Whitmore averaged less than 1.0 assist per game at Villanova, he’s a willing passer who was asked to function more as a score-first player in college. Whitmore will have to prove he can consistently shoot the three from NBA range, but it’s encouraging that he knocked down better than 34 percent of his attempts (4.2 3PA/G) in college.”