Nuggets take calculated gamble on former first-round pick

Cam Whitmore has never lived up to his college hype as one of the top basketball prospects in the world. Now he's joining a team almost designed to help him thrive.

The Denver Nuggets agreed to a two-way deal with Whitmore, the No. 20 pick from the 2023 draft. While Whitmore has failed to catch on in his two previous NBA homes, he'll have every opportunity to rebuild his career alongside Nikola Jokic.

Cam Whitmore couldn't stand out on crowded teams

Whitmore was a potential lottery pick who fell all the way to No. 20 in the 2023 draft, thanks to some lackadaisical workouts and poor pre-draft interviews. He ended up on the Houston Rockets, a team entering the final season of a multiyear rebuild.

It was a tough situation for Whitmore because the Rockets had accumulated so many draft picks and young prospects that they had to make elaborate trades just to clear roster space. Whitmore played the same position as the No. 4 pick from his draft, Amen Thompson. The Rockets also had Dillon Brooks, second-year forward Tari Eason and Jabari Smith, Jr., the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, all fighting for minutes at forward.

Not only was the roster packed, but the Rockets were ready to start competing for the playoffs. For Whitmore, a talented-but-raw prospect who played just one season at Villanova, it wasn't a massive opportunity for development, though he did average 1.3 points in 18.7 minutes per game.

After two seasons, the Rockets sent Whitmore to the Washington Wizards, who also had a roster full of forward prospects, including pick Bilal Coulibaly, first-round picks Kyshawn George and Will Riley. Whitmore was benched early in the season for poor defense, then saw his season end early after he developed deep-vein thrombosis in his shoulder.

Whitmore is set up for success with Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have three-time MVP Jokic, but no one would accuse them of having a glut of talent at forward, especially after trading Michael Porter Jr. and Peyton Watson in consecutive summers. Denver is desperate for bench scoring beyond future Hall of Famer DeMar DeRozan. There's likely going to be opportunities for serious playing time given the recent injury history of starters Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson.

If Whitmore needed a wake-up call to get serious about defense and his game, having to settle for a two-way deal in his fourth season is a big one. He doesn't have to be a great defender, especially on this team, but he has to at least play hard and take that end of the court seriously.

On the offensive side, having Nikola Jokic to draw defensive attention and hit him with precise passes should allow Whitmore to thrive. The team badly needs a threat going to the basket and catching lobs, and Whitmore should do well in that role.

And if Whitmore wants to show off his improvement, he'll be able to do so in 28 nationally televised games, sixth-most in the NBA. There's no guarantee Whitmore gets it together and saves his NBA career, but he couldn't be in a better place to do so this year.