If Udoka is willing to go 10 deep I think he has a chance to break into the rotation. But if he’s not in the rotation he needs to be getting some minutes with rgv just to work on his game and stay in shape. Regardless, he’ll probably see some court time with true big team at some point when players have to miss games for whatever reasons.
Cam Whitmore impressed me these 2 games. If a team with less "future franchise players" got him I think they would go wild and anoint him the as new centerpiece. Keep in mind he just turned 19. I'm really impressed with the defense, he knows how to use his athleticism and quickness to defend and was able to keep up with a lightning fast guard like Cason Wallace. People keep talking about the tunnel vision but the last game there were lots of times he was looking to pass so I don't think he is innately selfish he is just trigger happy. In a more structured offense where he is supposed to run plays I don't think he is gonna chuck up bombs from 3 every possession. He is also really good as a finisher, his FG% doesn't look that hot but that's cuz he was doing his best Antoine Walker impression, if you cut the 3s he was actually 6/7 on 2s he was actually unstoppable. As far as prospects go, I honestly think he is better than rookie Jalen Green cuz he has the size and athleticism to be a star at the SG spot. If Green doesn't take that leap this year I'm all for seeing the market for him and start developing Cam instead.
This is another example of why the draft combine agility stats don't lie. Cam (6'7 230) posted a 10.82. Cason Wallace (6'4 195) ran a 10.82. And if you ask them to run down court? Wallace has a solid 3.34 in the 3/4 sprint. Cam a 3.20. And Cam has that 40.5 vertical. Just to post another set of numbers before the Golden State game: Brandin Podziemski (6-5 205) timed an 11.16 in the agility drill with a 3.21 in the 3/4 sprint (39-inch vertical).
He does need reps but I think it might be hard to learn NBA team basketball in non NBA team situations when you are as physically gifted as Cam. NBA defenders are bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter which changes when you have to pass and when you have to drive. In the G-League a drive to the basket might lead to an open lane and passing is a bad read while in the NBA that same drive to the basket is stopped and you have to kick it out to someone. I also think reps for really young rookies is overrated. Kobe only played 15 mpg as a rookie. If Cam is working hard he should be able to get minutes here and there throughout the season.
I simply don't believe in valueless reps for young players like this. The problem with Cam and potentially one of the reasons why he slipped(I know there were medical issues as well) is that he was a historically bad passer in college - like really dreadful. There may be perfectly legit reasons for that but I think a 4 or 5 game stint in the G league will serve us all well to prove if that was at very least a consequence of his context in college or indicative of a larger awareness issue. We also need Cam working on not spending so much time surveying the floor and being a ball stopper and making quick reads as soon as the ball comes to him from another playmaker - he can certainly do that in the G league. I don't disagree that his physical talent will far exceed that of nearly every other player in the G league but he is a top 2% athlete in the NBA too - bottom line is he has to get more reps in making quick reads both as soon as the ball comes to him and as soon as defenses collapse on him - the frequency of how often that will happen in the G league vs the NBA, or the "quality" of that rep is less of a concern for a player who did it so rarely in college.
I'm not sure why his limit NBA minutes would be less valuable than heavy minutes in the GLeague. Being on the bench is going to give him the opportunity to learn from vets and what hopefully is a great coaching staff. But if it's only 4-5 G-League games I don't really see an issue if he still gets to be on the NBA bench for 70+ other games.
yeah exactly - he can frankly get 35+ minutes for 10 games in the G league and still get 50-60 games in the NBA on 15 minutes a night. It's not black or white - in reality he is playing and learning in both league's minutes - I just want to see him hit the g league for pure reps a few times this season
I don't because it's rare for a good young player to need to be in the g league. I'd much prefer he battle for rotation minutes and get them. But if he does end up there hopefully it works out.
First off - it's not rare for a 20th pick to play in the G league. A.) the G league actually has a number of good players(25% are former top 20 draft picks) and in recent years has seen a number of players turn into lottery talents(9 drafted from there just in the last few years) as well as had a number of young lottery players get reps before joining their drafting team's squads. If you still perceive it to be a weaker league or a demotion(used be called the D league) - then you need to update your understanding of the league because it's dated. B.) Cam was the 20th pick in the draft so 18 other teams passed on him AND we passed on him once too. Don't tell me he's too good for G league because he is hyper athletic. Dude needs to prove he can make quick reads when receiving the ball(ball stopping) or when defenses collapse on him(chucking) and if he is SO good, then he won't be there long....but Udoka isn't going to give him the benefit of doubt just because he is an elite athlete - that's not the culture we are building here. Conquering the G league is part of his battle and if he's too good for that then maybe that's why 18 teams passed on him in the first place.... and lastly - he is not going to get the chance to try to distribute 15 times in a game in an NBA game as a rookie - he will never get that many reps as a rookie in the NBA as the 20th pick...but in the g league he will and he needs the practice because he hardly passed at all in college so he didn't get reps there.
I know what the g league is. It's not a death sentence for a player to go there but most players that end up with good careers don't need to go there as rookies. My hopes for Cam as a rookie don't include him going to the g league. I want him to win a spot in the rotation. The Rockets aren't a veteran team like the Warriors where he can't get in the rotation. Lots of players picked at 20 find their way into rotations as rookies.
I don't claim to know how the G-league teams work. I wonder if the G-league coaching staffs get mandates from their NBA counterparts how they want certain players developed. For example, will the Rockets coaches specific tell the Vipers to work on Whitmore's passing game? Or do the Vipers just want to use the dude to win as many games as possible? The league used to be called the "developmental league." But do they intentionally develop players for the NBA or are they just a lower level professional league? Most "superstars" in the G-league only have role player talent level in the NBA. Do they get free rein like superstars down there or do they learn to be a role player in the NBA?
Cam has holes in his game - plain and simple. That’s why he fell to 20 despite all the physical gifts. I’m FAR more concerned with him being a great player than mimicking the career arc of other “good careers”. Pascal Siakim is an example of a player who needed the extra reps in the developmental league before he turned into an all star. Same for Khris Middleton. You are thinking wayyy too much in the box here.
I think there is where we differ. I don't think Cam needs that right away. Udoka emphasizes defense and hard work. I don't think Cam needs to be the focal point of any offense right now. If he can get in the rotation with good defense and effort I think that's a win. He can work on the offense later.
Ime's the type of coach that'll send Whitmore to the G League just to see how he reacts. Basically tested Jabari already and Jabari responded well.
