lol... physical maturity in bold and large font and you name two high schoolers who came into the league looking like twigs.
I'm guessing you probably weren't alive when these guys were drafted. Cam is a rare physical specimen for his age and if we're just talking about that, he compares with the likes of LeBron.
I think he has STAR written all over him - doesn't guarantee it, but guys that come into the league with this package of skills, competitiveness and shot making generally pan out. DD
i mean if I'm drafting a center he better be bigger than cam. And even so Kwame only has him by like 10 lbs coming into the league. that's pretty ridiculous lol that speaks more towards Cam being a guard/wing and his size
My question was did you come to the Cam is a Franchise Player thread to say that he can't be a franchise player or that his is not able to average 30/10 (and can't be projected to be able to)....which you seem to be avoiding saying definitively. You are right there is no real debate because you avoid disputing my statements. Yes, I said you could already project that he is able to, not that you must project that he will. Not only do you avoid disputing my statement you avoid giving your own projection of what his numbers would look like with 40 mpg. Again, I said you can already project his numbers to 30/10. I didn't say he would score that, but projections show it is possible just by him keeping his current production which provides proof it is possible. It wouldn't even require him to improve his production, just to maintain. For example, his per 40 mins numbers are a projection of what his current production would be in 40 minutes. His points per 100 possessions numbers are a projection of what he would do in 100 possessions. Extrapolate the data yourself. If he put up these numbers for 10 minutes he might be able to do it for 40. Especially if he can do it for 38 mins in the Gleague. If he can do it in the Gleague he might be able to do it in the NBA, especially if he can do it even better for 10 mins in the NBA. I'm sure you probably think Gleague numbers can't be used to project NBA numbers either, but Jalen Green's Gleague averages were almost the same as his rookie averages. If a guy that put up 17 pts in the Gleague can put up the same as 19 year old rookie and 22 ppg with more minutes, what is possible for someone who averaged 27? If he averages 1.43 points per shot with a true shoting percentage over 60% in the NBA how much is possible with 20 or 25 shots? It could be projected to over 30 pts. If he's two times as good at scoring as Jalen Green who could average 17 as a rookie with 30 mins, what could he average with 30 mins? What are your projections? What numbers are allowed to be extrapolated? Whats the best case numbers possible for Cam Whitmore with starter numbers? Be bold don't be afraid to risk being wrong, maybe even start the sentence "Cam will never average more than...." I'll wait... You are asking for proof for a projection or estimate. That sounds silly. Just because i can project the numbers doesn't mean it will definitley happen but I can absolutely say there is a chance. His numbers could even get better...If you disagree give me proof he can't. I already proved it could with Kobe who had less natural talent than Cam. Cam is a one of a kind player, and his numbers do show that. The only player to EVER average over Cam's average of 8.8 for a full season with under 11 minutes per game only in played 1 game that season. Also, Cam Whitmore's productions has actually gotten better as the level of competition and teammates has increased. Better productivity in Gleague than college, better productivity against NBA 2nd string than G-league. What will happen if Cam has more minutes to heat up, get comfortable, wear down the defense and get them in foul trouble? What will happen if he improves his shooting or handles, learns the offense better, gets better at drawing fouls and hitting free throws. I won't lose sleep if Cam doesn't hit his projections, I'm pretty confident he will be a great player regardless
You seem to be stuck in a mode where you need me to have come here to hate on Cam even though my post says: Give Cam a break. It seems you don't have any proof that what you're saying is true, you're just speculating. A couple of posters have already broken it down for you, the numbers you are projecting are on the most extreme side. That's fine maybe you're a huge fan of his but don't be confused that everyone else doesn't agree with your speculation. I'm confident Cam will be an excellent player too. I just don't think he can average 30ppg as a starter today and I can't believe I even have to say that lol.
Every now and then a big will come to the league that looks like a man but is a teenager. Moses, Kemp, Amare more recently... LeBron, as you say, as far as a wing teenager...
Exactly just so rare, his physicality is a major advantage and he isn't afraid of using it......dude is a STUD MUFFIN ! DD
Cam needs to be reprogrammed. His athleticism is good and his outside shooting is great so far, but he's got a ways to go.
a 19 year old has a ways to go? not exactly breaking news. reprogrammed not really. He's in the league because of what he can already do and that's put the ball in the basket at all 3 levels of the floor combined with his physical attributes. That's never going to go away. If he ever goes away from that which he won't then he's not doing what got him to this point. what he needs is experience and meaningful play as he adjusts to the league. the role he is learning is completely brand new to him. He's had the ball in his hands his entire career up to this point
I think "reprogram" might be too strong a word. But he does need a big adjustment to his on court mentality. Right now, when he gets the ball, the only thing he sees is the rim. If you watch his highlights against the Bucks here: you can see several times he ran into a crowded lane. One of the plays he got an and-1 and was amazing how he could get that shot in. But he could also have passed it to the far corner with a wide open teammate. The most obvious one is at the 2:12 mark. Jeff gave him a handoff. Jeff's man Lopez dropped all the way to the basket. His man Middleton went over the screen shadowing him. It should be a very basic basketball play. If the defense traps you, pass it to your screen man. He should be wide open. Instead, Cam continued to dribble into the rim protector and got blocked. I am not too worried yet. He is doing what Jalen did in his rookie season. Take a quick 3 or go straight to the rim not matter where the other 9 guys are. The difference is, Cam is much stronger than Jalen and is able to absorb contact much better.
oh I know that's what he sees. That's his instinct for what he does best and that's score. This just becomes part to playing more meaningful minutes and experience to adjust to what he needs to do for this team. this isn't much of a worry to me. I'm pretty happy with what he's already shown and folks are seeing it now. his job is to score and that's what he's doing at an exceptional rate. the rest will come with reps, time and experience
With this kind of player you need to add other skills to his bag.....that in time you would hope he would resort to his midrange and not just see the rim .....like the Westbrook pull up shot earlier in his career. If he is strictly a scorer, I am afraid, you cannot force him to be a passer.....
Per 36 numbers are a great way to identify guys who might need more of a workload. It is absolutely not a definitive expectation of what they could produce if given those minutes. The list of players who can maintain the same level of per minute efficiency and productivity at 36 minutes per game as they could at 12 minutes per game is extremely small. As minutes, usage and defensive attention goes up, efficiency goes down. Proven over decades of nba basketball.
I'm not trying to break news; just want to bring some of the Cam lovers back to grounded reality. Getting rid of tunnel vision doesn't count as learning a new role. His mentality on the court is the problem. There are 47 games left. As long as his production continues to be good, his minutes should continue ramping.
