Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson Showcase Role on Houston Rockets

After two preseason games, the Houston Rocket's plans for rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are already taking shape.

The Houston Rockets dominated the New Orleans Pelicans 120-87 on Thursday night, largely thanks to a 22-point, nine-rebound effort from Jabari Smith Jr. Smith’s play, coupled with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram being non-factors resulted in an easy win.

The Rockets are touting out their regular season starting lineups. With two new veterans on the team Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, the Rockets have plenty of kinks to work out. The result of the starting guys getting run off the floor means the game plan for rookies Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson is being revealed.

Cam Whitmore will be expected to contribute points right away.  / © Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Thompson and Whitmore were expected to be top-eight picks in the 2023 draft, but Whitmore slid all the way to 20th overall, and the Rockets were able to capitalize. 

Whitmore, while talented, has a lot further to go to be NBA-ready compared to Thompson. In the two preseason games, Whitmore is only averaging 13 minutes, compared to Thompson’s 21.

This is a reflection of what fans can expect once the season begins. Whitmore is an athletic wing who can create his own shot but is rather streaky. 

In his debut against the Pacers, he played for 17 minutes thanks to his solid 6-for-10 shooting and 3-for-4 from deep. On Thursday, he struggled to find the bottom of the basket and did not get to play nearly as much. Expect Udoka to follow a simple rule this season: Whitmore plays as long as he’s hot.

As for Thompson, his role is much less fluid. The second unit will run through him, so his scoring and facilitating should be top-notch. Thanks to those expanded responsibilities, even if he isn’t stuffing the stat sheet, fans should see him for at least 20 minutes a night. 

In the preseason, he has only made 20 percent of his threes and is yet to establish himself as a scoring threat, but his defense and passing make him a positive. Based on how the rookies have been used two games into the preseason, it’s safe to say that they will both be big parts of the second unit.