MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League, Cam Whitmore started dreaming of the “Rookie of the Year” trophy. It would have been a nice revenge for the 20th choice of the last Draft, which we expected much earlier…
But what happens in Las Vegas often stays in Las Vegas, and the Villanova alum was not part of Ime Udoka's rotation at the start of the season. He only came into play in 7 of Houston's 30 matches between October and December, except that the injury to Tari Eason pushed the Houston coach to review his rotations.
While until then he was mainly used in the G-League (26.2 points on average at 48% success, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists on average in 13 games), Cam Whitmore returned to the first team.
“It’s complicated because I love basketball and I want to play basketball”explains the rookie. “At the end of the day, you just have to be patient. That's all we can do. »
Work on defense
Patient, Cam Whitmore finally regained playing time in January, averaging 10.9 points at 49% success, including 39% from distance. The problem is that the Rockets are not at their best over the period, with 4 victories in 10 games but only one success (in Detroit, narrowly), on their last “road trip” of six games.
Before the New Year, the Rockets had the 6th best defense in the entire league. They are only 16th since then. Obviously, it's not all Cam Whitmore's fault, but his contribution to the field has nothing to do with that of Tari Eason. What he is well aware of…
“My concentration on defense”he responds like this at the Houston Chronicle on what he needs to improve as a priority. “That’s really it. I really have to concentrate when we are on defense. Once I learn that, everything else will fall into place. That's the most important thing, defensive concentration. »
Especially if he wants to stay in Ime Udoka's rotation when Tari Eason comes out on his side of the infirmary.
| Cam Whitmore | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | HOU | 17 | 14 | 49.6 | 37.3 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 9.1 |
| Total | 17 | 14 | 49.6 | 37.3 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 9.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
