Cam Whitmore came ready to play
With Isiah Quickley sitting on the bench in street clothes, Poku and Mychal Mulder emergency suited up but not expected to play, and Evans Ganapamo getting just his third career CSL start, everyone anticipated the Los Angeles Clippers would destroy the New Orleans Pelicans at the Staples Center.
But then a funny thing happened.
Yes, Ganapamo stunk up the joint shootingwise, going 4/20, 0/5 behind the arc, 6/6 from the line for 14 points, and turned the ball over 6 times. But he also added 9 assists and 3 steals. And Olivier Maxence-Prosper did his usual great thing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Savion Flagg, whom the front office swears is the most underrated player in the CSL, kept banging treys for 14 points and 8 rebounds. And of course, Jayson Tatum scored 21 points
But the real performance that got everyone talking? Cam Whitmore, emergency pressed into the backup PG role, playing 29 minutes and rattling off 6/8, 2/2 from behind the arc for 16 points and 7 assists, racking up a game-high +14 ON. As first year head coach Khem Birch said, "We'd seen that in spot minutes, Cam actually played okay at the point, and with his ability to knock it in above the break, we're like all right yeah, let's see what you can do. And you know what? He went out there and did it."
It was an emphatic retort to the naysayers who panned his selection as the #1 overall pick a year ago and said Stephon Castle should have been New Orleans' selection (more on that later), and while the chances of him running the offense again this season are slim following the JJJ deal, it was a nice moment of lore- and legend-building.
However, that wasn't enough to win Player of the Game. That went to Jaren Jackson Jr., who shot under .500 and was -2 in the +/- column in the 109-102 upset, but nonetheless racked up 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks, as if to refute those in the front office who have questioned his fit and ability to help lead a team to a title (JJJ has never made it out of the second round in his career).
That wasn't the only big man who stared down the critics, though. Enter Bol Bol, expected to join the Pelicans in a few days, who happened to read the Houston Rockets' GM's comments about New Orleans picking him up:
Bol's response:KW: yeah sorry, you paid a 1st to downgrade
In the Timberwolves' 111-104 win over those same exact Rockets, he himself took Player of the Game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and a block, bullying Jaxson Hayes into just 13 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. Yes, that Hayes, once considered one of the up and coming young bigs in the league before he failed to ever average 10 points or 10 rebounds in a single season.
After the game, Bol held up his hand with his championship ring resting on his right finger: "I have one of these. I will win another one." In fact, Bol has made it to the CSL Finals with both the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves, bringing 105 postseason games and 95 starts to JJJ's 50 despite both being Year 30 players.
So About That Whitmore vs. Castle Comparison:
It's interesting to take a look at the two players selected #1 and #2 overall in last year's draft - Cam Whitmore and Stephon Castle, and see how their careers have stacked up so far in the very early stages:
Quick Stats Look (This Season)
Whitmore: (18 G, 0 GS, 18.5 MPG) 7.5 points, 0.9 steals - 42.4% FG, 37.1% 3P, 52.1% TS^, 47.9% EFG@, -3.9 ON, 1.1 TOFC, 25% DSR, 0.99 PA/SF, 20.9% USG (3rd highest on the team of those receiving meaningful minutes), 11-7 team record, 5.96 PIE* (#7 on team), 14.3 PER** (#7 on team)
Castle: (18 G, 18 GS, 27.5 MPG) 14.8 points, 5.3 assists, 4 rebounds, 0.8 steals - 37.1% FG, 38.5% 3P, 43.4% TS, 38.1% EFG, -1.7 ON, 1.4 TOFC, 83.4% DSR, 0.95 PA/SF, 29.9% USG (highest on the team), 10-9 team record, 9.95 PIE* (#4 on team), 13.7 PER** (#10 on team)
^: Above 59% = elite; 58-59% = very good, 55-57 = good, 52-55 = average, 50-51.9% = mediocre, <50 = awful
@: Above 51: = good; 50% = average; 45-49 = mediocre; <45 = awful
*: Above 10 PIE = above average player; 6-10 PIE = average role player; 3-6 PIE = low-impact role player, <3 PIE = non-factor
** 25+ PER = Elite player; 20+ PER = great player; 15 PER = average, <15 PER = below average
Profile Analysis
Whitmore is an average usage player with an average TS% and a slightly below average EFG% who is clearly growing and improved over his rookie campaign, though he has yet to significantly impact the game - largely due to his limited minutes, and is close to an average PER player. He might also benefit from losing weight to be able to stop more drives, though because of the Pelicans' defensive scheme and his playing time, he only faces 2.2 drives a game. New Orleans is being patient with him, keeping him in the same clearly defined role his first two seasons while he develops his game.
Castle is a high usage player who is actually performing worse than his rookie season in shooting efficiency but has increased his PER due to the other parts of his offensive game. He is very close to being an above average player due to his all-around contributions in different facets of the game - particularly on defense, but until his shooting improves enough to be at least average, his lack of efficiency will prevent him from reaching truly great status, much less elite, which in turn will impact the Warriors' ceiling due to his usage rate. Nonetheless, he is clearly having an impact and helping elevate Golden State to a surprising winning record thus far.
Who Would You Rather Have?
That depends entirely on your team's circumstances. Right now, we'd say both players are contributing about what's expected of them - Whitmore still in his apprenticeship to Jayson Tatum on a team currently in a Top 6 spot, Castle as the franchise face and leading shot-taker on a team that still is very much in need of an alpha scorer if they want to move beyond their current surprising play-in tournament status.
Who Will Be The Better Player Long-Term?
TBD. We haven't yet seen Whitmore in extensive minutes where he's clearly designed to be a leading scorer, but his PER and EFF have almost doubled from his rookie season, indicating that he's growing more comfortable with the CSL, and Year 3 is often the biggest jump for young players. Castle is clearly the superior defender of the two (now and presumably in the future), but his shooting woes will need to be corrected before anyone can say he will definitively be the better of the two over the course of their careers.