Cam Whitmore's arrival in the DMV brought plenty of eyes to the rebuilding movement for the Washington Wizards.
Over the last couple years, Washington had already managed to load up on young talent, with the like of Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and even Tristan Vukcevic coming to mind.
Not mentioning raw talent like AJ Johnson, who was acquired in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the NBA trade deadline in February.
However, the addition of Whitmore this offseason gave the Wizards yet another former first-round talent with the potential to emerge as a star in the right situation.
As a Maryland native, there may not have been a better situation in the league for him to land at.
Between his ties to the Wizards, Washington in the midst of an ongoing rebuild with plenty of minutes to spare, the Villanova product entered the season with an opportunity to finally prove the upside he entered the league with isn't lost, but instead hidden.
During his first two seasons with the Houston Rockets, Whitmore's costly mistakes ultimately proved to be the difference between him cracking Ime Udoka's rotation and becoming a near permanent addition to the bench.
However, since arriving in Washington, Whitmore's confidence has seemingly increased by the day and on Wednesday, he made a statement about what his future with the Wizards holds.
The forward came off the bench in his regular season debut, but that didn't stop him from turning heads.
In 19 minutes, Whitmore impressed, totaling 19 points, five rebounds and one assists, while shooting 6/12 from field goal range.
The athletic wing flourished in his new role with the Wizards and his ability to play free without worrying about mistakes immediately causing him to be pulled from the lineup showed.
In just one game, Whitmore looks like a player that can stick around in D.C. for the long haul, and that comes from a performance off the bench.
If at some point this season the playmaker is able to crack the starting lineup for the Wizards, there's a chance that he could emerge as the next rising star in Washington.
The talent is there and now with an opportunity to prove what he can do, all the cards are on the table for Whitmore to capitalize on the opportunity in front of him.
All that to say, the future for Whitmore in Washington looks bright.