At the 2023 NBA Draft, Cam Whitmore — a projected top-ten pick leading up to the event — heard name after name, questioning himself more with each selection.
"Every time it kept counting down, just didn't know where to go," Whitmore said soon after the draft.
Now, in his rookie season with the Houston Rockets — who selected him No. 20 overall — he’s proving why several teams shouldn’t have passed on him in the first place.
In his last three games, Whitmore has averaged a blistering 21.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 48% overall and 41% from beyond the arc. Remarkably, he’s played just 22.5 minutes per game in each contest.
You read that right: 21.0 points in 22.5 minutes.
Two of the games featured blowout wins over the Hornets and Lakers, the other being a near-come-from-behind effort against Brooklyn that saw a Whitmore-centric third quarter.
On the season, the 19-year-old is now averaging 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game, perfectly respectable numbers for a frosh. But his percentages of 48% overall and 39% from three pop more than anything.
There’s of course been woes too. His total of nine assists in just 23 games certainly leaves something to be desired. And the shot selection and general decision-making stands to improve, too.
But mostly, Whitmore has been a force in legitimate minutes. And he knew that was true, even in the hours after his draft slide.
"I know I'm different than everybody else, but it's just another chapter in my life, another step in the journey.”
More must-reads: