At one point, it seemed like Cam Whitmore would be a top-five pick. So why did he fall all the way out of the lottery in the NBA Draft?
On paper, Cam Whitmore has everything you'd look for in a high-level NBA Draft prospect. Elite physical tools — a powerful 6-foot-7, 232-pound frame with a plus-wingspan, special quickness and a non-stop motor. The aggressiveness, intensity and versatility to eventually defend multiple positions, potentially all five depending on the matchup. A reasonably solid outside jumper with every reason to think he could develop into a serious perimeter threat. Impressive freshman production — 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals per game — at an elite program like Villanova.
His scouting report is basically a gushing celebration of this potential:
"Cam Whitmore is one of the most promising two-way players on the board. His remarkable athleticism and high-level competitive spirit should have teams as early as No. 3 considering the Villanova product.
While it will be difficult for some to overlook the inconsistency and even the relative lack of success for Villanova as a whole, smart teams will see in Whitmore the crystal-clear outline of a future star. His particular blend of size, strength, and quick-twitch power is not common. Very few players can move and elevate like Whitmore. Even fewer can truck defenders like a lineman."
Throughout the college season, Whitmore was consistently rated as an NBA Draft lottery-level prospect, considered by many to be a top-five prospect. But as the picks rolled in Thursday night, he stayed on the board, falling completely out of the lottery. So what happened?
Why did Cam Whitmore slide so far in the NBA Draft?
In the final days leading up to the draft there were rumblings that Whitmore was a candidate to slide, with rumors mentioning both uninspired workouts and vague allusions to problems with his medical exams.
As of this writing, we still don't know exactly what showed up in his medicals that scared off nearly a dozen teams but his slide was clearly about that.
This kind of slide is not unheard of. It happened to OG Anunoby, who had been pegged as a top-five pick but slid to the Raptors at No. 23 in the 2017 NBA Draft because of concerns about his recovery from knee surgery. He's turned out to be one of the most productive players in that class. Ditto for Michael Porter Jr. who was once in contention for the No. 1 pick but fell to No. 14 in the 2018 draft because of concerns over back surgery that basically wiped out his one season at Missouri. Porter Jr., of course, is now an NBA champion and averaged 17.4 points per game for the Nuggets this season.
That's not to say that Whitmore will wind up being a steal of this draft. But whoever takes him will be buying low on a player who was, at one point, considered to be one of the most talented players in this class.
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.