Houston rookie Cam Whitmore had an excellent first season, but he will need to improve further if the Rockets are to reach their full potential.
On draft night 2023, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore heard 19 names before hearing his name.
Many, including himself, were surprised because the 6-foot-6 wing was projected as a top-10 pick by experts. And even more likely to place in the top five.
“Every time it kept counting down, just didn’t know where to go,” Whitmore said soon after the draft.
Eventually, the Rockets took their shot. So far, the gamble appears to be paying off, with plenty of room for dividends to grow.
Whitmore averaged 12.3 points and 45% shooting in 47 games during his rookie season. At first glance, those are respectable freshman numbers, but his minutes per game — only 18.7 per night — demonstrate how truly elite his scoring prowess was in his first year.
His shooting improved, which contributed to this. A jump from 34% in college to 36% in the NBA may not seem significant. However, with the increased 3-point line and NBA ball, most rookies take a dip, let alone a jump, on even more attempts.
Still, Whitmore has a lot of room for improvement, even outside of limiting his offence to starting minutes. And he will have to in order for the team to reach its peak.
He had only 33 assists out of 467 total shot attempts, and his 46 turnovers were also not particularly impressive. Houston has talent in a variety of areas, and Whitmore will undoubtedly need to work on his passing and playing, decision-making, and shot selection in order to maximise his output within the confines of the team.
If he can get there, having a white-hot scorer on the wing alongside Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and others should help the team advance.
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