As the Washington Wizards get set to head into the new season, the coaching staff is going to have a lot to tinker with as it pertains to the roster's newest additions. Cam Whitmore in particular looks to be a major reason why the depth chart will likely take some time to figure out, in the best way possible.
We know that Whitmore struggled to earn consistent playing time while in Houston, given the crowded nature of the Rockets' roster at the time. But now, he joins an exciting young core in Washington and looks to have the opportunity for a much larger role.
There's a lot of reason to be excited about Whitmore's game as it pertains to his scoring abilities. Cam has shown that he can put the ball in the basket, plain and simple. His ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc is going to give him the chance to be a needle mover right away, especially in a modern NBA offense.
Whitmore fits perfectly into what you describe as an offensive spark plug. He's the kind of guy who is going to come into a game and push the offense forward due to his natural creation abilities. The idea is that as he progresses, he'll only become an even more dangerous scorer.
Whitmore's offensive potential is massive
With that being said, there's always going to be room for improvement for any young player. For cam, a lot of that is going to relate to consistency on defense. It's a bit of a mixed bag with Whitmore, as he's had some solid stretches on defense, but it's more a situation of needing to build that consistency and eliminate mental lapses.
The good thing is, this is generally a fixable issue. It's not something that he doesn't have and will never have, it's simply something that he can be coached up on. The Wizards coaching staff is going to need to monitor his effort, awareness, and focus on the defensive side. But it's certainly something he can eventually get much more comfortable with.
Now, Washington's roster is a bit crowded when it comes to young forwards and wings right now. As talented and with as much potential as Whitmore has, he's still going to have to earn a heavy-minutes role on this team.
But if he really locks in defensively and embraces the Wizards' overall vision as a team, I believe Whitmore could really raise Washington's ceiling. In a young core still figuring out its identity, his scoring punch paired with a renewed defensive edge could be the difference between another rebuilding year and the first real step toward sustainable success.