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Villanova standout Cam Whitmore favored to be selected No. 5 overall in 2023 NBA draft

Will Villanova's Cam Whitmore become just the second player in school history to be selected inside the top five?

Cam Whitmore (right) of Villanova dunks over Noah Locke of Providence during the first half of their Jan. 29 game at the Wells Fargo Center.
Cam Whitmore (right) of Villanova dunks over Noah Locke of Providence during the first half of their Jan. 29 game at the Wells Fargo Center.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

When the 2023 NBA draft kicks off next Thursday night, Cam Whitmore, the Big East freshman of the year, has a chance to make school history.

As Villanova’s first true “one-and-done” player since Tim Thomas in 1997, Whitmore played well down the stretch. He averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, which ended with the Wildcats missing the NCAA tournament.

Whitmore can become just the second men’s player in school history to be selected inside the top five of the NBA draft, joining Paul Arizin, who was taken third in the 1950 draft by the then-Philadelphia Warriors.

The explosive wing player, who had a myriad of highlight dunks, has been linked to the Houston Rockets (No. 4 pick), Detroit Pistons (No. 5 pick), and Orlando Magic (No. 6 pick) in several mock drafts.

Whitmore has been most commonly connected to the Pistons, but will he come off the board that early? The odds at Caesars Sportsbook favor his chances to do so.

» READ MORE: As expected, Villanova freshman Cam Whitmore will enter the NBA draft

Pistons’ No. 5 overall pick odds (via Caesars)

  1. Cam Whitmore: +105

  2. Ausar Thompson: +300

  3. Jarace Walker: +325

  4. Amen Thompson: +500

  5. Anthony Black: +1200

  6. Taylor Hendricks: +1500

  7. Keyonte George: +2500

  8. Brandon Miller: +3000

  9. Cason Wallace: +4000

  10. Scoot Henderson: +4000

  11. Gradey Dick: +4000

Whitmore is at the top of the odds board to be the No. 5 pick, valued at +105. He would be joining a young Pistons corps in Jaden Ivy, Detroit’s 2022 first-round pick, and Cade Cunningham, the top overall pick in 2021 who missed the majority of last season due to injury.

Whitmore’s also the favorite at FanDuel to come off the board fifth overall, valued at +115, ahead of Ausar Thompson, who sits with the second-best odds at +340.

Although he is the favorite to be the Pistons selection, Whitmore’s odds to be selected by the Rockets at No. 4 overall are not far behind the favorite, Amen Thompson from the City Reapers of Overtime Elite, who is valued at -140. Whitmore has +160 odds to be the fourth overall pick.

After having a predraft workout earlier in the month with the Indiana Pacers, who pick seventh , Whitmore was brought in for a workout with the Trail Blazers, who have the third overall pick. His odds to be picked by the Blazers sit at 25-1 at Caesars.

With the top three picks expected to be Victor Wembanyama and some combination of Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson, consider Whitmore in the mix to hear his name called early next Thursday night.

» READ MORE: Brandon Miller is now favored to be selected No. 2 over Scoot Henderson in the NBA draft