Cam Whitmore's addition to the Washington Wizards may go down as one of the most underrated moves of the offseason.
The Villanova product landed with the Wizards over the weekend after a flurry of moves from the Houston Rockets made it clear that a fresh start would be best for the former first-round pick.
Looking at stats alone, it may not seem like Whitmore's potential is something to rave about, but considering his production in a limited role, there's plenty to like about what the forward adds to the Wizards young roster.
However, the one specialty that makes the addition of Whitmore so intriguing, is what a deep dive into his analytics offer.
Whitmore can score at an elite level
As mentioned above, Whitmore's role throughout his first two seasons in Houston was minimal.
In 98 games with the Rockets, the wing averaged 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 44.9% from field goal range and 35.5% from beyond the arc in only 17.4 minutes per game through two years.
Looking at what he was able to do with minimal opportunities only. brings excitement about what he could potentially offer in an increased role, especially with the Wizards who have plenty of minutes to spare for young players moving forward.
Taking a look at Whitmore's stat projections per 100 possessions, it suggests that the dynamic forward could be a 30 PPG scorer.
Obviously, averaging 30 points per game is a steep ask, especially for a third-year player. So tempering expectations is important.
However, there's no doubt that with an increased role as anticipated, Whitmore could very well average 20 points per game with ease.
The talent is clearly there and while he has areas that need improvement like every other young player in this league, the stats back up the fact that Whitmore's specialty of scoring at a high-level puts him in a rare category that rising players can be placed in.
Heading into 2025, Whitmore will become a main focal point of the roster in terms of development, especially consider what his upside could offer for the team's rebuild moving forward.
If he's able to produce at the level the advanced stats suggests he can, the Wizards very well could have landed a key piece to their rebuild for years to come.
Considering the cheap price it cost general manager Will Dawkins to take a swing on Whitmore's potential, this trade continues to look like a brilliant move.