Cam Whitmore's Ascendance: 3 Teams who must regret not drafting him
By Matt Sidney
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors drafted Gradey Dick over Cam Whitmore
The Toronto Raptors, in hindsight, have to be kicking themselves when looking back on the series of decisions they've made up to date this season. The team is in a rebuild, one highlighted by a couple of interesting young pieces. One of those young pieces could have been Villanova wing, Cam Whitmore, but the Raptors botched that one.
"With the 13th pick in the NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select... Cam Whitmore, forward, out of Villanova University!" That currently sounds wayyyy more preferable than the Raptors selecting Gradey Dick. No offense to Dick, but he is struggling this season.
The Raptors regret not taking Whitmore with the 13th pick, with the main reason being that he would be an excellent fit on this new, rebuilding roster. Imagine a starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, Cam Whitmore, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poetl. That lineup is oozing with potential and can potentially get the Raptors back in the playoff hunt as soon as next season.
Dick and Barrett both play the same natural position, shooting guard. Whitmore frees up the small forward spot with a 6-foot-7, 232-pound frame that will allow him to better defend and battle opposing forwards. The Raptors are now stuck with an unknown commodity in Dick, while Whitmore is currently blowing up for the Rockets.
Hindsight is 20/20, but the Raptors had an easy opportunity to bring in one of the more polarizing players in the draft. They didn't and now they're stuck wishing that they had.