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Why Lakers Opted Not To Draft Projected Top 5 Pick After He Fell Out Of Lottery

We'll have to see how he pans out!

Noel Sanchez

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In a couple of years down the line, we very well may look back at the 2023 Draft and say that the Los Angeles Lakers let a gold mine slip out of their hands. Do not get me wrong... Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis both have me very excited for the future and I can't to see them hit the floor for Summer League. But Cam Whitmore was up for grabs when that number 17 pick rolled around and seeing him get selected three picks later stung just a bit. 

Whitmore was a consensus top-30 player in the nation coming out of high school with a five-star rating. Numerous mixtapes on YouTube don't even do him justice as he looked NBA ready by the time he was a senior. Standing at 6'7 and weighing in at 232 pounds, it looked like he was going to make some serious noise during his lone year at Villanova and even though he had some nice moments, the results were not as expected.

He averaged 12 points and six rebounds across 26 games but was still projected to be a lottery pick. Nobody would have been shocked to have seen the Rockets snag Whitmore at number four so the fact that they still got him at 20 says a lot about how scouts were turned off on his return.

And now it appears we know why the Lakers were a part of that bunch thanks to a report from The Athletic.

"Even as Cam Whitmore, who was a projected lottery pick, slid to Houston at pick No. 20, no team decided to trade up to steal him. (The Lakers considered Whitmore, according to team sources, but determined Hood-Schifino was a surer bet.)"

(Via The Athletic)

Reports began funneling out right before the draft that Whitmore had some scary cartilage issues in his knee and showed a low motor in pre-draft workouts.

We're going to get a first look at the newest Lakers rookies very soon and we wish Whitmore the best of luck in Houston!

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Noel Sanchez
NOEL SANCHEZ

Noel is currently in his third year at California Polytechnic University of Pomona and is pursuing a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Multi-Media Journalism. He has always had a deep passion for sports and writing.

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