I don't see him as a 26ppg scorer unless it's on a terrible team where he gets to do whatever he wants and play huge minutes. I.E. Cam Thomas scoring 24 a game this season. I'm concerned if he doesn't get his mindset turned around (and he's still very young), he will be out of the league in a few years. That's the biggest thing holding him back right now. No coach is going to want to give a ton of responsibility to a player with his attitude. In terms of ceiling, I don't see him as a starter on a contending team anymore. Just not good enough court vision/basketball IQ. He could be a very good 6th man if he locks in and decides to be the best sparkplug he can be. Regardless, I'm going to be surprised if he's still on the roster in October.
Apparently there are those on this site who believe offense is the only thing that determines a player’s value or playing time. Scary. Funny thing though is neither Sheppard or Cam have consistently been good even just offensively
He really isn't Leeb....lol, doesn't move off the ball, or isn't in Ime's offense, he should be playing like a mini-Reggie Miller....but he is wasted here. DD
It's so strange to be talking about a guy who has never shot an above-average 3P% for a wing in college or the NBA as a "mini-Reggie Miller". FT% doesn't suggest there's some huge untapped potential either, he's been consistently below-average at that too. He's an okay jump shooter, don't get me wrong, and his combo of strength and athleticism is as intriguing as it ever was--the problem is more mental than anything else--but I don't see any reason to think he is an elite jump shooter in the making. I think the vision for him putting it all together would have looked something like Jaylen Brown, a decent jump shooter, good downhill driver, and good defensive player. The problem is that it's become clear he doesn't have Brown's IQ, motor, approach to the game. In those departments, he appears unfortunately to be closer to another DD favorite, KPJ.
Now I've seen it all .. From KD 2.0 to mini- Reggie Miller at 6'10 lmao .. Bari doomed to fail in CFs eyes
Sounds like yall are talking about different players. One person talking about Jabari and the other Cam.
KPJ is available....lol....and we know stone loves him. Agreed about jabari....just saying he should be running off screens like Reggie, not that he IS Reggie.....but he would be the best self if he did that. DD
Which was my issue pre draft. I mean when you draft at the top, you want a guy who can create his own shot or one for someone else at minimum
One thing I hope we can all agree on: what happened last yr with Cam can’t happen again. We can’t waste Cam’s 3rd season. It doesn’t help the team to have him rotting on the bench again. Play Cam or trade Cam. Recoup asset value or let him cook.
You can't trade a player and watch him blow up elsewhere, that gets a GM fired, you have to CHOOSE the best players and jettison the rest..... You have to find out on Cam first.....and probably as a starter......to see what he will become.....if he is traded, and he might be.......and he blows up, Stone and Ime will be fired......for not being able to recognize talent. Tough situation to be in. I think if the Rockets are trading him they have made their mind up, or they blew it by not playing him all year - he should have been in the rotation and allowed to grow on the job, same as Reed, seems like a wasted year for both. DD
Lol. Cam Whitmore isn't getting anyone fired. Well, maybe I'd you trust hin to be a key piece of the rotation ir a starter like they did with KPJ
Until the incident KPJ was a good piece on a value contract, and ironically his skillset of dribble penetration and passing is exactly what this team missed this year. Not saying we want KPJ now, but the reasons for appreciating his skills are still there, and smart fans knew it. We are still searching for a dribble penetrator and finisher. DD
I disagree. He was a piece to tank on a losing team. We could use his skillset if he was willing to use it correctly. He was a selfish, me first guy who was a headcase. Was it part of the culture and was he enabled, sure, but he's been the same everywhere. He's an adult and responsible for his actions. I see a ton of him in Cam which is why I want no part of him. Definitely don't want him now. Appreciating he had skills but realizing that he's a losing player are two vastly different things. 100% agree
Before we dump Jabari Smith, or Cam Whitmore, we should have some patience. Think of Aaron Gordon and Pascal Siakam. They flourished after being traded. There is enough there for both players to turn into something in the right situation. I think both guys are so young and talented that they should only be moved for clear upgrades that fit in with the overall timeline of the team.
I would encourage folks reminiscing with rose colored glasses or the opposite to go look up his stats while remembering that he also was the lead guard with the usage essentially of a star player. The results show a decent player statistically but knowing that his usage was as high as it was, and what the results were winning wise, I don’t think he’s a player one should really miss too much. Especially since he had so little value around the league that they had to barter to get him off the roster given the drama off the court and sometimes on the court/bench/locker. Cam Whitmore is a completely different type of player and hopefully different personality. I see value there regardless if he improves or not as a scorer off the bench who can thrive as a catch and shoot guy, or create a little when your bench unit is in and you want to go on a run. That’s value he has now regardless if he improves or not. Is he worth multiple firsts if the rockets trade him…. Not likely but I do think there’s some “Buddy Hield-like” value there that GM’s will see with some room to grow. I hope the Rockets can keep him and give him a consistent role next season but we’ll see what happens. If he has to move on for the best for both sides it is what it is, but how we remember Cam’s time here should be much more positive that KPJ’s where the team was a sh$t show with immaturity and foolishness on and off the court vs the fantastic run and growth we’ve seen in the era since KPJ left and FVV, Sengun, and Jalen really became our lead offensive engines.
He's literally a minimum salary replacement level player now lololol He's the same player he *always was*- mediocre, not the guy you give a contract to - this becomes obvious when you put him on non 20 win teams Rafael Stone should buy tickets to the NYPD policemans ball every year - his stupidest mistake got erased for free. Otherwise the Rockets would have to attach draft picks to get rid of KPJ
