Houston Rockets Forward Cam Whitmore Continues to Improve in Vipers Win

Cam Whitmore had a great overall game in the Vipers 128-124-win Monday night.

Nov 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore (7) dunks the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard David Duke Jr. (7) looks on during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In their 128-124 victory, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers showcased Cam Whitmore's scoring ability, demonstrating why the Rockets were excited to draft him. Whitmore emerged as one of the surprise rookies of the 2023 draft.

For Whitmore, the start of the 2024-25 season has not met his expectations, especially after a strong performance in his rookie season. He entered this season with high hopes, having emerged as one of the standout players from the 2023 NBA Draft.

After falling in the draft to the Rockets at number 20, Whitmore averaged 12 points and shot an impressive .359 from 3-point range. Whitmore was expected to be one of the leading players off the bench this season.

As training camp went on and the rotation started to form in the preseason it became obvious that Whitmore may be the odd man out with the Rockets having one of the deeper teams in the NBA. With the return of Tari Eason and the Rockets drafting Reed Sheppard minutes were becoming hard to come by for Whitmore.

During the Rockets practice before their game with the Oklahoma City Thunder Ime Udoka told Rockets on SI that Whitmore stint with the Vipers was more about not having minutes available than how he has been playing.

I asked Coach Udoka if their was any benefit to Reed going to the Vipers to get more playing time early in the season like they have done with Cam Whitmore.

“It depends it’s very situational with position” pic.twitter.com/zoab8855iK

— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) November 30, 2024

Udoka has also mentioned he wants Whitmore to be less of a ball-stopper and continue to work on his game while with the Vipers. Whitmore showed his all-around game in Monday night's win over the Blue.

Whitmore finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 6-10 from beyond the arc and was a plus-30 in a four-point game. The most important part was the six assists and only one turnover. Everyone around the league knows Whitmore can score, but becoming a better passer is the key to getting Whitmore back to the NBA.

Whitmore also showed effort on the defensive end, and as everyone knows, that is one area you have to give effort in, or you won't see the court for Coach Udoka.

Although it is the G League, and results can be inflated due to the level of competition, if Whitmore continues to show improvement, he might return to the rotation sooner rather than later.

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