Cam Whitmore’s Development Could be Pivotal to Rockets Reaching Ceiling

Houston rookie Cam Whitmore had a great first season, but will need to further improve for the Rockets to reach their apex.

On draft night 2023, Villanova’s  Cam Whitmore heard 19 names before finally hearing his own.

It was a surprise for many — including himself — as the 6-foot-6 wing was projected expert-wide to be a top-10 selection. And even more likely to go in the top-five.

"Every time it kept counting down, just didn't know where to go," Whitmore said soon after the draft.

Eventually, though, the Rockets took their shot. A gamble that seems to be paying off so far, with even more room to pay dividends.

In his first season, Whitmore averaged 12.3 points on 45% shooting in 47 games. Those are respectable frosh numbers at first glance, but a look at his minutes per game — just 18.7 a night — show how truly elite his scoring prowess was in year one.

Part of the reason for that was his shooting improvement. A jump from 34% in college to 36% in the NBA might not seem like much. But factoring in the increased 3-point line and NBA ball, most rookies take a dip, much less a jump on even more attempts.

Still, there’s plenty of ways Whitmore can improve, even outside of scaling his offense to starting minutes. And he’ll need to in order for the team to reach their apex.

He totaled just 33 assists to 467 total shot attempts, and his 46 turnovers weren’t necessarily a bright spot, either. Houston has talent in a variety of areas, and Whitmore will undoubtedly need to improve his passing and playing, decision-making and shot-selection in order to reach his maximum output within the confines of the team.

If he can get there, a white-hot scorer on the wing next to the likes of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and more should help the team reach the next level.

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