Houston Rockets Season Player Review: Cam Whitmore

The Houston Rockets have had many first-round picks over the last several seasons since trading their franchise cornerstone in James Harden. That trade not only brought the Rockets several future picks, but it also made them one of the youngest teams in the NBA, which in turn led to three straight seasons of losing basketball.

The Rockets started their lottery drafting in 2021 with Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. The following season, they drafted Jabari Smith and Tari Eason. In 2023, the Rockets had two more first-round picks and went with Amen Thompson at pick four and, surprisingly, Cam Whitmore at pick 20.

It was a surprising pick because many believed Whitmore could be a high lottery pick, but Whitmore was still on the board as the selection continued to be announced. The Rockets jumped at drafting the talented forward, and there was talk at one point that they would even take him with their No. 4 pick.

Some believed Whitmore fell in the draft because of his injury history, and others believed it was because of his interviews during the draft process. Whatever the reasons, the Rockets believed they had stolen with their 20th pick.

Whitmore was trying to prove the other teams in the NBA wrong. He became one of the best scorers among rookies and the entire NBA. Whitmore's points per minute were up there with the best players on the bench, and he became one of the Rockets' best 3-point shooters. He finished the season averaging 12.3 points a game and shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Whitmore hoped to carry the positive momentum into the 2024-25 season, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. With the emergence of Amen Thompson and the Rockets trying to get Reed Sheppard playing time at the beginning of the season, Whitmore was the odd man out.

Whitmore saw some playing time in the season's first month but struggled to find a rhythm in his limited time. Whitmore started an abysmal 1-of-21 from beyond the arc, leading him to not see the court beginning in November.

Whitmore would not play more than 20 minutes in a game until December 23, as he was sent down to the G League in November to get some playing time, considering he was not seeing the court for the Rockets.

Even after Whitmore was brought back to the Rockets, he struggled to find consistent playing time. Whitmore himself shared some of his frustration with not knowing his role with us in the media.

"I really don't know. I have a lot of question marks for myself, just as you guys do. But yeah, I have no idea. I don't know what other things I can do," Whitmore told the media after the Houston Rockets' win over the Dallas Mavericks on New Year's Day.

Ime Udoka stated that he and the coaching staff had multiple conversations with Whitmore about what they needed to see from him, so he felt a little confused about why Whitmore made those comments. Whitmore did see the court more often from the start of 2025 to the middle of March, but his playing time during games was still inconsistent.

Whitmore's inconsistent time and play on the court led to a drop in his stats across the board. Whitmore would only play five minutes against the Warriors, as he only saw the court in garbage time. Going forward, Whitmore has an uphill battle to see playing time in 2025-26.

If the Rockets run it back with the same roster, he will face the same issues as he did this season. He may be part of that trade if they make a significant trade. Whatever the case, there are a couple of things that we know. Whitmore has all the talent in the world, but sometimes, it takes more than talent to succeed in the NBA.