Cam Whitmore has had an incredibly productive Summer League. Did the Houston Rockets get the steal of the draft with Whitmore at No. 20?
On draft night, most projected Cam Whitmore to be a top-10 pick. However, the 18-year-old Villanova standout took a huge dip on the draft boards.
Eventually, Whitmore was selected late in the first round by the Houston Rockets as the 20th pick. All of a sudden, Whitmore had something to prove, both to his new team and to the 19 others that let him fall to that spot in the draft.
After the draft, Whitmore told The Athletic's Kelly Iko (subscription required),
"I know what it is, I know it's time. I have that chip on my shoulder, but I've been overlooked before. It's nothing new."
Clearly, Cam Whitmore has taken this opportunity at Summer League to send a message. That is: he's NBA-ready.
Rockets: Cam Whitmore coming into his own already at Summer League
On Thursday night in a Summer League win over the Warriors, Whitmore scored 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting and recorded eight steals, tying a Summer League record. Throw in a handful of rebounds, an assist, and a block and what we're left is Cam Whitmore's night in the office.
Thanks to Whitmore's performance, the Rockets are still undefeated in Summer League. And the rookie, as he was against Golden State on Thursday, has been a driving (and driven) force behind the success of his team.
GMs who missed out on Whitmore should kick themselves now. After three games in Las Vegas, Whitmore is averaging 21 points per game and he's only going to get more comfortable. Whitmore's natural basketball ability is showing and, thankfully, it's only a matter of time before we get to see what he can do in a real NBA game.
