The Washington Wizards have added some really valuable assets for the upcoming NBA season. They brought in veteran guard CJ McCollum and drafted their second consecutive trio, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins in this past draft. Another addition, arguably one of the biggest this summer, is Cam Whitmore. Now on a team with plenty of opportunity, what does his future in Washington look like?
What Is Wizards’ Newest Addition’s Future Role?
Whitmore is entering his third NBA season after being largely unimpressive in his first two for the Rockets. While Houston certainly made some mistakes in Whitmore’s development, can you blame them? They didn’t need him to be a huge contributor to notch a 52-win season and finish second in the conference last season. Then, with the addition of superstar Kevin Durant, the need for Whitmore diminished even further. Now in Washington, Whitmore has a real chance not only to play but also to get substantial opportunities on the court. While Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George will be competing for the majority of position minutes, Whitmore can insert himself into the conversation quite quickly.
Strong Offensive Game
There’s an argument that Whitmore is the best scorer at the forward position in Washington. While George is an all-around threat and has shown great promise over the summer, he’s not quite the offensive threat that Whitmore is. Whitmore shot far better from the field last season (44.4%) than George (37.2%). Compared to Coulibaly, Whitmore clears him easily on that end, especially with Coulibaly’s recent FIBA stretch.
Whitmore averaged 9.4 points, three rebounds, and an assist in just over 16 minutes a game last season. He has pure scorer potential, and that will be perfect once Washington finds that true playmaker. However, he has another overlooked piece of his game that could become a real strong suit of his.
Overlooked Defensive Game
For defense, on paper, it looks like both Coulibaly and George are the better defenders. They average more blocks and more steals, albeit with more minutes. However, taking a deeper dive into the stats tells a different story. Whitmore had a higher defensive rating (111) than Coulibaly (120) and George (118) last season. Additionally, Whitmore also had a higher defensive win share (1.2) than both of them as well.
It could be chalked up to the amount of minutes; Whitmore played less than 20 minutes a game, and Coulibaly and George both averaged above 25 a game. With that, Whitmore could be guarding someone coming off the bench compared to the other two guarding starters, sometimes defending the best player on the floor. However, it’s definitely worth looking at for the front office.
What About This Season?
Whitmore will most likely be coming off the bench for at least the first month of action. To give credit, Washington has so many options, and with Whitmore being a fresh face, he’ll be put aside for the beginning. However, Whitmore has one of the highest ceilings on the team, and Washington will need to give him ample opportunity to grow as a player.
That being said, by the end of the season, Whitmore could be a full-time starter. The depth chart at forward is stacked, and Whitmore will need to produce. Whitmore, Coulibaly, and George are there, but also Riley and Justin Champagnie. So while there is real room to get minutes, there’s also real room to lose them. He’ll need to produce and be efficient; that’s what the Wizards struggle with, and if he can be a stable scorer, he’ll be locked in for the foreseeable future.
The Last Word
Overall, Whitmore could provide extremely valuable scoring off the bench. Best-case scenario for him is coming off the bench, then turning into a starter with great play. He’s got some tough competition around him, but if he stays focused and locks in, the sky is the limit in Washington.
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