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Oct 28, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Cam Whitmore (1) shoots the ball over Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Wizards Prospect is Predictably Struggling Early

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 12:32 PM ET

The Cam Whitmore experiment was never going to immediately yield positive results.

The Washington Wizards traded for the former blue chip prospect this past summer, reuniting the player they could have scooped up in the 2023 NBA Draft lottery with his hometown team as another prospect to add to their ever-growing pile. He couldn't stick it out with the Houston Rockets, still trying to find his footing as an automatic scorer on a team with little time to nurture development projects, and found his way to a team that much more closely resembles his timeline.

His slow start to his professional career isn't for a lack of opportunity, though. He has the physical tools and basketball skills to flourish as a shooter, athletic driver and highlight finisher at the rim, but Whitmore's single-minded, scoring-based tunnel vision has held him back from earning a rotational position any better than what he had in Houston a this new stop.

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Beyond the Box Score

He's averaging 9.3 points in 16.7 minutes a game, numbers that line up almost identically to his second and final year with the Rockets. And while he was brought in with the intention of potentially cracking the squad's young core with some patience, he's already publicly testing the coaching staff just two weeks into the season.

In the Wizards' 119-102 loss to the New York Knicks, Wizards head coach Brian Keefe yet again revealed his frustrating with Whitmore's approach. When he tried telling the downhill driver to slow the offense down, seeing that he was going to end up slashing into a band of Knicks, he went ignored by Whitmore, too focused on containing his dribble.

Before he'd even finished turning over the ball, there was Keefe motioning for Whitmore's bench substitution.

https://t.co/xaUobAja4b pic.twitter.com/9OSum389dU
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 4, 2025

Adjusting to a Defined Role

This isn't their first entanglement. Just a week ago, the coach swiftly called a timeout after an audacious Whitmore 3-point attempt, the sort of shot that he remains unafraid to hoist. He wasn't happy when he hit the bench, throwing a towel upon sitting.

None of these brief spats can be a surprise to anyone who'd seen how the start of his career had played out. The per-36 minutes and per-100 possession numbers both reveal a player who can get his points with decent efficiency year after year, but coaches are rarely willing to put up with his questionable shot-selection or unwillingness to play team ball, especially when their other hand-picked prospects like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George are moving the ball and scoring with much better awareness.

Whitmore has enough potential to keep the Wizards tantalized as a rotational piece, and everyone who's already had it with him needs to approach the player with a little more patience. It's not harsh, though, to say that he's still a long way from earning consistent minutes due to his approach, and it's on him to better his mindset.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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