Why the Rockets made the right choice moving on with Cam Whitmore

The The Houston Rockets took care of business Wednesday night against the worst team in the league, defeating the Washington Wizards 1-11, 135-112. Houston’s 81 first-half points were the third-most in franchise history. While the game was never in doubt, the biggest story was the return of the former Rocket Cam Whitmore.

Whitmore was Houston’s first-round pick in 2023 and appeared in 98 games over two seasons (with zero starts) before being traded to Washington last offseason for two future second-round draft picks.

Whitmore never quite worked out in Houston, despite flashes of scoring potential and elite athleticism. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka cited the Rockets’ “down in numbers” on Wednesday as the reason why.

“We’ve always had depth since I’ve been here, and he kind of got caught up in that mix,” Udoka said. “And then just some things that we emphasized offensively, defensively, for improvement that we wanted to see (from) him, and he’d be a little up and down with that. But happy for the opportunity he’s getting now and hopefully he’ll take advantage of it.”

Udoka also admitted that Whitmore’s new surroundings could benefit him long term.

Why Cam Whitmore is a good fit for the Wizards

“Going into a new situation with a young team, it’s going to take some time, and he’s just young in his career, but (he has) all the talent and potential in the world,” Udoka said. “And so let’s just see what he’s done in the last two games, and that’s what Cam has done when he gets a regular opportunity.”

Udoka was mostly on track when he reflected on Whitmore’s time in Houston, where the young wing seemed to spend more time in the doghouse than in the actual rotation.

On paper, Whitmore looks like a good fit for the Rockets’ roster – an athletic off-the-ball wing who can play against point guard Amen Thompson, a player who has knocked down 36% of his threes and is currently averaging 17 points per game over his last three outings. But, in reality, he was never a good match for what Udoka and the Rockets were building.

Whitmore’s flaws — his tunnel vision, his defense, his reluctance to pass and play within the system — outweighed his flashes of potential during his two-year stint in Houston.

“I haven’t really shown anything yet,” Whitmore said before dropping 11 points for his former team. “But (like) I said before, it’s just the beginning, just the beginning of something special. So I haven’t done anything yet, to be honest.”

They seem to be wizards fits Whitmore more naturallywho may get plenty of minutes on a young, struggling team, which will give him time for growing pains while the third-year player tries to figure things out.

The Rockets, however, could not afford the same luxury. Houston is now trying to win, not develop long-term projects. And Whitmore was simply not suited to the system that Udoka was building. Whitmore’s defense was never a strength, nor was his ability to work as a team. He averaged 11 shot attempts per assist during his career.

He had until Tuesday assists on only 5.1 percent made baskets by his teammates, which ranks him 118th^th among 126 forwards and wings to play at least 100 minutes this season, according to Cleaning the Glass. Whitmore also ranked last among all Wizards players this season in assists per minute, averaging just 0.6, according to the NBA Player Tracking Database. He struggles to fit into an offense based on player movement and ball sharing, which Houston has tried to curate.

Whitmore even admitted that his own father teases him more about passing.

“My mentality is really just to score first, and if the score isn’t there, then I kick the ball out and just find my teammates,” Whitmore said. “But it’s something that I’ve kind of been working on, actually trying to fully focus on this year.”

Whitmore will continue they produce top performances that might make Rockets fans wonder, “What if?” But he’s a better fit for a team currently more concerned with highlights and player development than actual wins.

For a Rockets team with championship aspirations, moving on from their former first-round pick wasn’t just understandable—it was the right move.