One desperate need of the Denver Nuggets after last season was the need to upgrade athleticism. They spent the summer making every athletic upgrade they could over the departed player the free agent they signed replaced. However, it was the final addition of the summer, Cam Whitmore, who gives the Nuggets the biggest athletic upgrade of them all. And with the Nuggets, the former first-round pick will have all the opportunity around him to absorb what he can to develop and potentially flourish.
Whitmore took the podium at media day and explained three big reasons as to why playing in Denver could be just what the doctor ordered to develop into the scorer and defender that made him a first-round talent. Veteran leadership that the 22-year-old and youngest member of the Nuggets has never been around before, in the form of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Mr. Nugget Aaron Gordon, and All-NBA Third Team selection Jamal Murray.
"I've never had these type of vets in the locker room ever before," Whitmore said. "Jokic, AG, and Jamal. If they tell me I need to do something differently than what I was doing before, then I'm gonna go ahead and do it."
That's the attitude that goes a long way to making the most of the two-way contract chance that the Nuggets gave Whitmore, and it'll go a long way to his development this year.
Whitmore will lean on the vets to develop beyond athleticism
It's definitely not strength or athleticism holding Whitmore back. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound wing was described by Nuggets head coach David Adelman as being able to "play for the Broncos." But Adelman also says that Whitmore "needs to simplify himself." The Nuggets are just the team to help him figure that out.
Whitmore can score. He can create his own shot without much of a problem. In his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, he scored 12.3 points in just 18.7 minutes per game, which translates to 23.7 points per 36 minutes. He's also an excellent cutter and slasher, and he should thrive playing in an offense with passers like Jokic and DeMar DeRozan, who are often finding the open cutting player for an easy finish at the rim.
But that's Whitmore's strength. He still needs to develop his three-point shot, and he could learn to make the right pass (or any pass that results in an assist) and use his athleticism to his advantage on the defensive end. But those are the skills that the veterans on the Nuggets should be able to help Whitmore figure out. He's going to have four, if you put DeRozan on the list, of the best veterans in the NBA to show him the ropes.
And from the sound of things, he's willing to soak it all up like a sponge. If Whitmore has a solid first half absorbing that knowledge, he could find himself forcing the Nuggets to use their 15th roster spot on him around the trade deadline, much like Spencer Jones did last year.
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