Then again they were bi+ching about Amen as well. What’s the flavor of the day? Who’s the next scapegoat?
That would mean he’s better than Amen. I don’t believe this is true in terms of making winning plays or doing what it takes to win. Then there’s intangibles. Amen makes winning plays in terms of defense with steals, blocks etc that leads to transition points. He is a superior passer setting up team mates and making plays inside off the drive or kickout 3. These are winning plays. He hustles and plays hard in both ends and has a lot of poise for a rookie which is something I mentioned I saw even in OTE. Cam is a pure scorer. Great talent at getting buckets but that doesn’t Necessarily translate to wins. He often misses defensive assignments-doesn’t switch when he needs to or misses perimeter rotation, gambles with steals, and is shot happy. He doesn’t use his offensive gifts to set up team mates. He isn’t a good passer and he’s played this way all through college and likely in high school. He can certainly work on all of these things and grow especially defense but I don’t think we should expect him to have great court vision or be a willing passer. Maybe slight improvement 2 assists a game or so. Can’t teach players to have defensive awareness, hustle, or make timely defensive plays that players like Eason and Amen make. That’s why I assess at this time Amen is the better player and likely in the future.
Great front offices are the ones that can hit home runs that scare other GMs. I recall that DraftExpress and Givony, when he was just establishing his reputation, were very high on this lanky kid with an odd first name, Kawhi. Other teams, like Houston, went with more sure things like Marcus Morris (who has had a long NBA career), but the miss in that draft was haunting. On this site, there was all kinds of pre-draft buzz about Sengun that he had the "it" factor. Again, most NBA GMs underestimated the scouting. Tari Eason ... very polarizing, drops down the board--but it was obvious to me that he should have been drafted higher And now we have Cam, whose tape looked like a bored and unmotivated talent, like a manchild among kids on the court. Turns out, he was saving his body for the NBA at Villanova. Over everyone listed above, Cam had to be the most risk/reward. The tunnel vision/morale/work ethic label made him un-draftable by some teams. It has to drive the Raptors a little crazy that they valued the shooting of Grady Dick (Kansas #13) over Cam and Jordan Hawkins (UConn #14). By the way, playing against bigger, more athletic guys in the NBA (with a longer 3-point line), the twenty-year-old Dick is averaging a whopping 27.9% from 3 on a team desperate for shooters (14 minutes a game). Insert jokes here. I'm glad the Rockets have the right coach who could intervene in Cam's life and help him unlock more of his game. He's found something that works with playing angry. The sky is the limit. Last thought: won't there be another player in the next draft, a mid-first rounder that can be a home run? Do we really want to give up on that Brooklyn pick? I'm torn because, for every Cam and Tari, there are many, many misses. Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba come to mind. And depending on your mood, you can add more names to this list.
christopher and garuba were late first rounders but i get your point. Even if we get a project, we have the luxury to just stash him on the bench and let him grow. Or we can go for the more sure thing, immediate help. I don't think we're giving up that pick unless its back to brooklyn, but i still wouldn't do it. I just want to roll with our young guns and let them grow!
So far this is a good assessment but the caveat is he is scoring at a rate thats nearly unseen for 19 year olds in the NBA. He might be on a hot stretch but it doesn’t feel that way. Amen is almost 1.5 years older. Let’s give Cam another year to catch up. I think his defensive rotations will improve significantly under Ime. He will never be a strong creator for others but at least he’s showing he doesn’t turn the ball over either.
I love Cam as much as the next guy but yeah it's clear Amen is the better overall player. Couldn't be happier with how Cam is coming along though
I think Amen has shown why he was drafted 4th. Also, if the Rockets had taken Cam Whitmore at #4, I doubt anybody would be complaining right about now. Ironic how the narrative was that this was going to be a 3 man draft, and the Rockets were going to be outside looking in at #4. I was so upset after the day of the lottery, because all the publications kept repeating about this being a 3 player draft. About how 3 players would all go #1 in other draft classes. And that there were another 8 players that were all about the same in talent and could go interchangeably. With that said, I think I’ve see that the Rockets really did contemplate between Amen and Cam at #4, and I don’t blame them after seeing both guys play. The Rockets are in seriously good hands right now. The coaching is top tier. The Core is top notch. And Cam Whitmore absolutely has the type of talent to make him the #1 player from this draft in a career.
Cam so far has a higher ts% and efg% than any season of Jalen Green's career. I know, Jalen is really young and -2 years younger than Cam...
Tate is what he is. Tough nosed defensive player that makes positive plays that affect a game and lead to wins. Isn’t a great 3 pt shooter but can attack the basket and get to the paint. His traits and abilities are desired and he would be playing for any team right now as Suns and Celtics are interested. His value seems to be underrated and often harshly judged by people on this site.
Been on the Cam train longer than anyone in this thread, maybe on this site.....no cursing other than when we clank another 3ball. DD
Miller has been pretty good, I view it that Cameron also had luck meeting someone like Udoka who challenged him in his first year......
