The 2023 rookie draft scheduled to be held on June 23 (Korean time) is called the ‘Victor Wembanyama Draft’. Victor Wembanyama, one of the top talents in NBA history, is drawing all attention.
However, there are some promising players who are not noticed because they are overshadowed by Wembanyama. If you’re not a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, who secured the first pick, maybe it’s wise to focus on the prospects below them.메이저사이트
There are so many attractive prospects in this draft. Draft depth is also evaluated as a great draft.
The prospect prepared in the first order of ‘Scouting Report’ is Cam Whitmore of Villanova University. He is a top forward prospect expected to be selected in the 3rd to 7th picks in the draft.
“A wing resource with good physical condition and athletic ability” Whitmore profile
Name: Cam Whitmore/ Date of birth: July 8, 2004/ Physical condition: 201cm 105kg/ Position:
Graduated from SF Archbishopspalding High School/ Attended Villanova University Middle
History: McDonald’s All-American (2022), Jordan Brand Classic (2002), FIBA U18 Americas Championship MVP (2022)
Record: Average of 27.3 minutes in 26 games, 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.4 steals/ 47.9% field goal percentage/ 3-point shooting percentage 34.3%/ Free Throw Percentage 70.3%/ TS% 57.1%/ EFG% 55.1%/ USG% 25.6%
▲Advantages
He is a top-class forward prospect, ranked second in the small forward rankings in this draft.
He is a very explosive karate and defense player. He has good body balance, so he showed several times that he was good at finishing even with strong contact. The type who breaks through strongly and finishes with an explosive first step because of his athletic ability. He showed a respectable field goal rate of 58% from within the 3-point line. This is a record that includes a mid-range jumper, and if you look at his bottom finish alone, you can see that his success rate has been quite decent.
Although the dribble is not at the top level, the unique hesitation dribble is expected to work at the NBA level. He made sure to make the 3-point jumper following the hesitation dribble his signature move. It is the main offensive route to score from the perimeter.
Although he is a wing resource, his energy level is high enough to record 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
He has good off-the-ball movement. He is expected to play the role of a slasher and floor spacer in offense, and is expected to play an active role as a wing resource capable of infinite switch in defense.
▲ Disadvantages
It is definitely clunky. Isolation from the attack is captured several times. There are two reasons. First of all, I am not the type with high BQ (basketball intelligence). His ability to break through is good, and even if he gets to the bottom of the goal, if he gets blocked, he shows himself paralyzed several times. It is difficult to see him as the type to attack cleverly with a plan.
Also, the dribble is weak. His hesitation dribble is certainly impressive, but basically his dribbling ability is not good. When the pressure defense comes in, the ball handling becomes very unstable. These two reasons have been seen many times isolated from attacks.
It seems that there is no playmaking ability. He committed 1.4 errors while averaging 0.7 assists per game in the collegiate league. This is a record he made while playing at Villanova University, which advocates system basketball. If you went to another college, chances are your assists/mistakes ratio would have been worse.
He has a weakness for outside shooting. He had a 34% 3-point shooting percentage. It’s hard to say that the shooting mechanism is dull, but it’s not smooth at all. Improving your 3-point shooting skills is essential if you want to be active in the NBA.
▲Team Whitmore, who seems to match well,
is expected to rank 3rd if he is selected really high, and 7th if nominated late.
I believe that a team with optimal growth conditions for him should have the following conditions.
– A team that can guarantee quality playing time due to weak competition for the same position
– A team with a top-notch playmaker: Whitmore can never be a playmaker with his current passing skills. He desperately needs a playmaker who can make up for his weaknesses while maximizing his strong off-the-ball movement and athletic abilities.
Based on these conditions, there is no team better than the Detroit Pistons with the fifth overall pick. Cade Cunningham’s playmaking ability from the 1st pick in the 2021 draft. Very poor forward depth, except for Boyan Bogdanovic. Detroit is a team that will boast the best compatibility, considering the environment in which they can aim for mutual growth with high-quality prospects such as Cunningham, Jaylen Duren, and Jaden Ivy.
Compatibility with the Indiana Pacers, the holder of the 7th pick, is also expected. It is because of the existence of point guard Tyrese Halliburton, who ranks first in assists, and the rather poor wing depth. However, the stumbling block is that the possibility of Whitmore falling to the 7th place is not high. It is highly likely that he will be nominated in Detroit in the 5th place and Orlando in the 6th place at the latest.
▲ Finally,
it is a wing resource that is very similar to Jaylen Brown (Boston), Miles Bridges (Independent), and OG Anunobi (Toronto). Like the above players, he is active as an offensive and defensive player based on his explosive athletic ability, but his ball handling is weak. He is a giant gemstone of great strength and athleticism. If he goes to a good environment, he is a player who will grow into a top-notch wing resource.