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Cam Whitmore

Cam Whitmore
No. 7 – Houston Rockets
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2004-07-08) July 8, 2004 (age 20)
Odenton, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolArchbishop Spalding
(Severn, Maryland)
CollegeVillanova (2022–2023)
NBA draft2023: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentHouston Rockets
2023; 2024Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Cameron Whitmore (born July 8, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.

High school career

Whitmore attended Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland. As a senior, he was the Capital Gazette boys basketball player of the year.[1] He was selected to play in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.[2][3] He played in the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, where he was named MVP.[4]

Recruiting

Whitmore was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On October 7, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Villanova over offers from Illinois and North Carolina.[5][6][7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cam Whitmore
SF
Odenton, MD Archbishop Spalding (MD) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oct 7, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 10  247Sports: 11  ESPN: 22
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

After missing seven games with a thumb injury, Whitmore made his collegiate debut versus Oklahoma. In his first season with Villanova, Whitmore averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. At the conclusion of his freshman year, Whitmore was named the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year. He later declared for the 2023 NBA draft becoming Villanova's first true one-and-done since Tim Thomas in 1997.[8]

Professional career

Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2023–present)

Before the draft, Whitmore was widely regarded to be a lottery pick with some projections placing him as high as fourth overall.[9][10][11][12] The Houston Rockets selected Whitmore with the twentieth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[13] On October 26, 2023, he made his NBA debut, scoring no points along with one rebound in a 116–86 loss to the Orlando Magic.[14] He made his first NBA start on January 21, 2024, in a home loss to the Boston Celtics.[15][16] Whitmore recorded 5 points, 4 rebounds, a block, a steal, and no assists on 27% shooting from the field (25% from three) as the Houston Rockets lost 116–107.[16][17] On January 26, 2024, Whitmore recorded his first career double-double and his then-career high, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists on 50% shooting (44% from three) in a 138–104 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[18][19][20]

Player profile

Standing at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, Whitmore plays at the small forward position. At the 2023 NBA Combine, Whitmore finished third in max vertical leap (40.5 inches). Scouts viewed Whitmore as a versatile wing with tremendous upside and athleticism. Offensively, he can effectively use a range of dribble moves to score in transition against similarly sized defenders.[21] Coming into the league, commentators noted his half-court scoring, vision, and IQ as weaknesses.[9][10] He has been compared to Jae Crowder and Caron Butler.[12]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Houston 47 2 18.7 .454 .359 .679 3.8 .7 .6 .4 12.3
Career 47 2 18.7 .454 .359 .679 3.8 .7 .6 .4 12.3

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Villanova 26 20 27.4 .478 .343 .703 5.3 .7 1.4 .3 12.5
Career 26 20 27.4 .478 .343 .703 5.3 .7 1.4 .3 12.5

References

  1. ^ "Archbishop Spalding's Cam Whitmore caps decorated career as 2021–22 Capital Gazette boys basketball Player of Year – Capital Gazette". Capitalgazette.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Spalding boys basketball star Cam Whitmore selected to play in McDonald's All American game – Baltimore Sun". Baltimoresun.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "Archbishop Spalding's Cam Whitmore has 19 points, including monstrous dunk, in East win in McDonald's basketball game – Baltimore Sun". Baltimoresun.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Aiello, Thomas (June 13, 2022). "Cam Whitmore Dominates for Team USA at FIBA U18 | SLAM". Slamonline.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Kyle Melnick (October 8, 2021). "Cam Whitmore, Spalding's five-star basketball prospect, commits to Villanova". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  6. ^ "Five-star F Cam Whitmore commits to Villanova".
  7. ^ "Top-40 recruit Whitmore commits to Villanova". October 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Rapay, Eugene. "Villanova's Cam Whitmore declares for 2023 NBA Draft". vuhoops.com.
  9. ^ a b "NBA Draft Scouting Report: Villanova's Cam Whitmore". NBA Draft Digest – Latest Draft News and Prospect Rankings. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "NBA mock draft: Wembanyama easy No. 1; AP has Miller second, Henderson third". AP News. June 1, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Villanova's Cam Whitmore falls to No. 20 pick in NBA draft after lottery projection". AP News. June 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Hryn, Derek (June 22, 2023). "2023 NBA Draft scouting report for Villanova F Cam Whitmore". DraftKings Network. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Siegel, Brett (June 22, 2023). "Cam Whitmore: Meet the Rockets' No. 20 pick in 2023 NBA Draft". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "Rockets 86–116 Magic (Oct 25, 2023) Box Score". ESPN. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "Rockets' Cam Whitmore: Will make first career start". CBSSports.com. January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Cam Whitmore | Houston Rockets". www.nba.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "Celtics win a tough one on the road vs. Rockets as Jaylen Brown triple-doubles". Yahoo Sports. January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Cam Whitmore | Houston Rockets". www.nba.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "Most Double Doubles By Rookies In The NBA This Season". StatMuse. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "Jalen Green scores 36 points to help Rockets rout Hornets 138–104". ABC News. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  21. ^ "Cam Whitmore". NBADraft.net. Retrieved September 22, 2023.