Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone 'Excited' About Cam Whitmore's Emergence
HOUSTON — Cam Whitmore made his intentions clear the morning of Jan. 29 ahead of his first career meeting against LeBron James. The Houston Rockets had concluded their morning shootaround before their final regular season contest against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets were down 1-2 after losing the previous two games inside Crypto.com Arena.
Returning home improved Houston's chances of closing the series with a victory. However, the Rockets' rotation was different from their early season losses, given that Whitmore had established himself as a reliable rotational player.
Rockets forward Cam Whitmore (7) shoots the ball as Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
He did not back down from James, as he helped the Rockets take a 16-point victory by scoring 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting. His performance against the Lakers illustrated why general manager Rafael Stone is "excited" when thinking about Whitmore's future.
"He can score the ball, and we knew he was the type of athlete he showed on the court, that was pretty obvious," Stone said. "I think he’s flashed really, really high-end offensive talent."
Since returning from his G League stint in late December, Whitmore has spent the previous month showcasing the talents that made his draft selection at pick No. 20 stunning in June.
The former Villanova prospect was a projected lottery pick entering the draft but fell outside the top 14 due to several unfortunate circumstances. He has scored double figures in 16 of the previous 21 games before missing the last two due to a right ankle sprain. He has scored 13.7 points, which included a career-best 25 points in Houston's blowout victory against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 2.
Stone and the Rockets have been content with Whitmore emergence. However, there are parts of Whitmore's game that Stone and the Rockets would like to develop before the end of his rookie season, which was emphasized by his defense and rebounding.
"I’m excited — I think he’s flashed really, really high-end offensive talent," Stone said. "A lot of the stuff we’ve asked of him defensively, he’s working on. And so again, just like the rest of our group, it needs to translate. It needs to be every game, every possession."
In addition to his third career 20-point performance, Whitmore added six rebounds in the victory over the Lakers inside the Toyota Center.
