Reaching the Ceiling: Cam Whitmore's Room for Improvement on the Offensive End

Although he's proven he can score points in a hurry, Houston Rockets guard Cam Whitmore will need to do much more on the offensive end to reach his ceiling.

Apr 12, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore (7) drives to the basket | Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

After sliding in the 2023 NBA Draft, which gave the Houston Rockets a chance to land an incredible talent later in the first round, Cam Whitmore had a fantastic rookie season. While he faced plenty of adversity and missed time due to injury, it was overall an extremely successful first year in the league as he averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 18.7 minutes per game. He started in two contests and truly made an impact on winning as the Rockets improved to 41-41 in the recent season.

Whitmore proved to be a microwave scorer, producing 0.658 points per minute as a rookie. He notched five games with at least 20 points and operated as Houston’s primary scorer off the bench on many nights. 

With that in mind, there was some concern with his inability to set up teammates for buckets. The best offensive players in the league do much more than score, they also make plays for themselves and others. As a rookie, Whitmore played 880 minutes and took 467 shots, but only dished out 33 assists. That’s a historically low ratio of assists to minutes and shot attempts, which should be an area he looks to improve in the future. 

Again, he’s just a rookie so there’s plenty of time to do so. But there should be a real focus on rounding out his offensive game in that respect. At the end of the day, Whitmore’s ability to improve as a passer will ultimately dictate his ceiling as either a premier guard in this league, or just an elite sixth-man type of player. 

When Whitmore’s shot isn’t falling, how else can he enhance the offense? It starts with facilitating for teammates, but he can also improve as a cutter, screener and offensive rebounder. When it all starts to come together on that end, he has the potential to be a lethal offensive weapon.