Cam Whitmore will be in the Rockets rotation when he shows that he knows how to make winning plays. The best players have numbers and help their teams win. Right now Whitmore is a very talented offensive player that doesn't have a high enough understanding of how to play with teammates so that his team wins. It isn't uncommon for someone that is 19 years old and missed a lot of his sole college season and played with a terrible college coach. The Rockets need players that know where to be on the floor at all times ..... know when to help defensively, when to switch.... when to shoot, when to pass and is consistent on the floor is HOW they play the game. Right now that is not Cam Whitmore's strength, and the hope is that he is open to learning the right way, that the effort is consistent and that the carrot of NBA playing time will keep him motivated. The Rockets last year were full of players like this.... Green, Porter and Smith come to mind.... the difference is that Silas never held anyone accountable. Udoka is holding players accountable. Offensively - Cam has the potential of being a star. He can really shoot it well from outside, he reminds me of Vince Carter as an outside shooter. He is extremely strong, he is explosive and athletic, almost impossible to stop in transition and can come off picks. His handle has visibly improved in less than a year......... basically ALL of that stuff is going to be there..... now it is working on playing the game smart, polishing things that have not been stressed to him in the past, getting consistent effort from him and getting him to put in the work to win ball games, not just drop 20 points a game. The potential offensive upside for Cam as a scorer is scary - but there is still a lot of volatility there at this point.
One thing though, can those things be learned in G-league? I mean. it seems half the players that play there have the very shortcomings that Cam has.
Yes - to a point at least. In the G-League the key is not to score 40 points, it is to work on what weaknesses are keeping you from getting minutes in the NBA. In the case of someone like Cam, his passing and awareness were very poor - even poor for a major D-1 player and as a result, there was no way he was going to be able to catch up in the NBA on improving those traits in the NBA, even if he got minutes. So in the G-League he is able to work on his passing, situational awareness, where to be defensively and offensively against guys that were all very good college players. Once he shows an ability to consistently make the smart plays in the G-League, he is in position to take the leap to the NBA and learn to do the same.. Some players just lack the aptitude and never make the adjustments in the G-League. Some players make the adjustments but never do in the NBA. However - a player is far more likely to have success if they can improve their awareness against G-League players first and then the leap to doing it in the NBA isn't as hard.
I don't think Cam will ever be a star, but if he can shoot +40% from long range, the Rockets could use him in the rotation if he were more mature. It's Udoka's job make that happen. There will be roster turnover during the season and the opportunity will be there for him.
Jalen has been contributing a lot more to winning this season than his previous two seasons and notice he didn’t finish the game last night. But Jalen is making a concerted effort to TRY hard on defense and doesn’t even call for the ball in the first quarter of most games, allowing the offense to gear up before attempting to attack one on one. And he’s making great passes. Still gets into a “me time” mode occasionally but far less than before. I’m happy w Jalen this season. Just needs to get stronger.
great take as usual. His challenge coming out of college was being able to process the game. There’s no doubt about his physical ability to dominate, and that’s what got him to this point. And I honestly see immense two-way potential. But yeah, he’s probably the furthest away on the team from understanding how to play team basketball. I’m very excited about Cam, but I trust Ime and I have a hard time believing he’s ready for the responsibility Ime demands of his players. I don’t see a rush with Cam. I say bring him along the right way. If that means G-league and garbage time this season, I’m okay with that.
positional awareness is very important for what Udoka is trying to do with the team. Especially on D, a conservative scheme where everyone stays connected, and is producing results. A bit surprising to me, because our personnel is probably more suited for a more aggressive scheme. Cam, Fred, Eason have all shown super-elite STL% stats. With a more helper-skelter coaching style Cam would already be seeing playing time.
Put in a basic foundation first, then you have something to fall back on if your aggressiveness gets you into trouble be it too many fouls or schematically. This (I hope) is not our finished product for offense or defense, but it is a necessary step. How soon we make the jump depends on how well the basics are mastered.
Hey great post! However, are you making these assessment with what is available online? As in can anyone go ahead and find your input online? If so, can you share where do you go occasionally for stats, clips etc? Or do you have some kind of limited access, which actually makes more sense to me if so Either way, thanks for the insight, always appreciate it.
This is an excellent post by Nook. Agree. Udoka often says one of the most important things he learned from Pop is "don't skip steps." So right now Cam's foundation is being built properly so he will be prepared for Udoka's system when he has mastered the right principles.
How do we know that he can't make winning plays he play like 5 minutes a game and i doubt any of you are G league enthusiast. Let's say he can't make winning plays and that is the reason why he isn't getting minutes then why is JG getting minutes? Am i supposed to believe that hippie Jordan Clarkson is playing winning bb? We should bench Jg for Cam right now. Cam is better bber than him.
Who is the better player RIGHT NOW? That is all that matters when you are trying to win. If it is Jalen, play him, if it is Cam - play him - What some are saying is that Jalen has beaten out Cam - I find that hard to believe. But if so, Cam will just have to wait. DD
Do you think Ime would send Cam to the G league if he could grasp the concepts being taught? Why would he make his job harder? Cam is down there to learn how to play within a team dynamic. Until he figures that out playing time will be scarce going forward.
How do we know? Based on what we saw in college, what he did in the pre-season and I would assume what the coaches saw in practice. The mistakes he made honestly were pretty obvious at times. Could he has vastly improved in a matter of months? Nothing is impossible, but usually that is a process that takes time, it is a skill and an approach that is different than how Cam has played basketball for likely his entire life. When I saw the mistakes Cam was making, I was very aware that there was a real chance that he wouldn't change - some players never do. However, overall I have been pleased by what I have seen in the G-League, but rushing him at this point IMO is a really bad idea. You have a very talented offensive player that has the potential to be a difference maker, you need to handle him properly when he shows the aptitude and ability to adjust. I trust Udoka on this point. As for Jalen Green, he has played two more years of basketball, he is older as well - and he has shown an ability to make more of the winning plays than Cam has. Even with Silas stink on him, Green should adjust faster than Cam and he has. As for Jordan Clarkson - he has a role - but do you want Cam to be Clarkson?
