Hollinger’s NBA Draft takeaways: Kings’ cap room, Dallas’ deals, Damian Lillard dilemma and more https://theathletic.com/4635898/2023/06/23/hollinger-2023-nba-draft-takeaways/
yes, and they will inevitably and uncharitably compare him to Sengun with each ounce of energy they can expend
I think Cam might be this year's over-nitpicked prospect, and I'm pretty positive fans will be impressed with how easily this guy can get buckets (esp when he gets the ball in the right spots - which he didn't get often at Nova). Jalen's has the scoring arsenal, KPJ can create and hit tough shots, Jabari can shoot over defenders, Alperen's crafty in the paint etc, but Whitmore gives us a guy who can get easy buckets at a level none of those guys can. I really hope he comes out looking to get to the rim, because he could rack up the FTA as well. He's a capable shooter, and I think he'll be solid from 3 from day-1, but I don't want him to settle when he can be pretty dominant going downhill. This guy dominated against the top guys in his class all of the 2022 summer, and was much more willing of a playmaker then too (still very much score-first). But he got hurt, missed the start of the CBB season, and came into a team that didn't move the ball well and had a new coach, so when he got the ball, you can't blame him for looking to score (as easily the most talented guy on that roster). Granted, he definitely suffered from tunnel-vision, but I don't think it's a debillitating of a "weakness" in his game as some said...if we add a strong playmaker at the 1, Amen shows some playmaking chops, and Udoka helps improve ball-movement, Whitmore is going to thrive, and give us an easy-buckets guy that we don't currently have.
2023 NBA Draft Winners and Losers Loser: Every Team That Passed on Cam Whitmore Pina: I do not watch college basketball, have never seen Cam Whitmore play an entire game, and am clueless about what specifically is so concerning in his medical report. What I do know is a bunch of smart people who spend their entire lives studying this stuff thought Whitmore was a high-lottery-pick type of talent. At some point, it only made sense for a team that doesn’t need short-term production or instant development to realize the upside they could get from a teenager free-falling in the first round. Not to take anything away from the prospects selected in these slots, but the Jazz at no. 16, the Lakers at no. 17, the Heat at no. 18, and the Warriors at no. 19 may come to regret passing on Whitmore, an 18-year-old who, as our Kevin O’Connor once wrote, “explodes off the dribble like a semitruck with a Ferrari’s accelerator.” In the end, the Rockets were fortunate to steal Whitmore at no. 20. If he pops, they’ll potentially emerge from draft night with two building blocks after taking Amen Thompson at no. 4. There’s almost too much young talent in Houston right now, which is a good problem to have. https://www.theringer.com/nba-draft/2023/6/23/23770890/nba-draft-winners-losers-trades
Clutchfans will hate anybody regardless of draft position if they don't play well. Hell, we got KPJ for absolutely free and people still lose their minds over him.
I think we sometimes we forget that these guys are just kids, quite literally in Cam's case still being 18. Think about how teenage guys talk to each other in real life as opposed to online basketball take culture land, and that sh*t makes a lot of sense, lol
man you can't expect 15 year olds to pass on a good dick joke, lol. Gradey knows the deal, that's why he wore that awful suit on draft day. Gradey's whole life is probably getting everyone to forget about his name.
