The Los Angeles Lakers could have made a splash during the 2023 NBA draft if they really wanted to. And they wouldn’t have even needed to pick up the phone and negotiate a potential trade because the possible high-upside, “splashy” option at No. 17 was on the board in Villanova’s Cam Whitmore.
While the Lakers’ selection of Jalen Hood-Schifino should offer plenty of long-term upside, it’s likely Whitmore could make a bigger impact right out of the gate in the NBA. And as The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported, the Lakers considered Whitmore but decided Hood-Schifino was a “surer bet.”
This comes on the heels of Deseret News’s Sarah Todd reporting that five different teams were concerned about "character issues" with Whitmore.
