Rockets' Cam Whitmore Among Most Exciting Sophomores

The Houston Rockets have a gem in second-year pro Cam Whitmore.

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore (7) drives the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Tommy Kuhse (31) during the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets are excited to see the growth from Cam Whitmore as he goes into his second NBA season.

Whitmore, 20, showed a lot of promise in his rookie season averaging 12.3 points per game in 47 appearances for the Rockets. That's why ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo ranked Whitmore as the ninth-most interesting sophomore for the upcoming season.

"Whitmore had a positive rookie season, starting to turn a corner with an improving motor and figuring out how to turn his athletic gifts into easy buckets. While he's still very shoot-first and isn't much of a playmaker, he's settling into a play-finishing wing role that plays to his strengths as a cutter, shooter and transition scorer," Woo writes.

The more Whitmore played last season, the more surprised people got when he turned out to be the No. 20 overall pick. Whitmore was expected to be as high as a top-five pick going into the draft, but with a lot of talent around him, he began to slip in the draft, falling to the Rockets and their bevy of youth. The other young talents on the roster could present a challenge for Whitmore as he gets further along in his career.

"It would be easy to say he deserves more minutes, but Houston is trying to win while simultaneously developing its younger players," Woo writes. "The Rockets will again be splitting wing minutes between him, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks and will also be working rookie Reed Sheppard into the mix. Theoretically, Whitmore fits perfectly alongside Houston's other playmakers, but he's going to have to make the most of what minutes he gets. The flashes Whitmore continues to show have been loud, and if he can work his way into an expanded role, Houston might have an enviable, if difficult task finding time for everyone."

It's a good problem for the Rockets to have, and it should continue to permeate throughout the season.

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