Slipping out of the NBA Draft lottery makes a prospect work with a chip on their shoulder. This is exactly what Cam Whitmore aims to do with his stint for the Houston Rockets. The rookie came out blazing in the 2023 NBA Summer League to prove that he was more than a top-20 pick. His mission seemed to be proving why his injury concerns were fictitious and that front offices should have trusted him more.

The Rockets are going to need a lot more floor spacing from their forwards and wings. Cam Whitmore could offer just that for them as he develops into his role. Ime Udoka already has a stacked guard rotation which means it is more than likely the rookie gets positioned as a forward. Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Kevin Porter Jr. among others need to develop which means he has to adjust.

A huge reason why Cam Whitmore was so up high in the NBA Draft boards was because of his all-around game. It is tailor-fitted for the modern NBA and three-point revolution. He is able to slash, play make, and crash the boards on command. This all-around upside could pair well with Jabari Smith Jr. in their frontcourt. However, his three-point shooting is the main concern during the NBA Summer League.

Cam Whitmore and the Rockets' spacing

Villanova basketball benefitted from Cam Whitmore's volume three-point shooting to open up their offensive schematics. He attempted 4.2 shots from beyond the arc on average per game. This rewarded him with a 34.3% field goal percentage from way out. The expectation would be that these numbers slowly start rising up as he gets access to NBA-caliber coaches and physical therapists. Although, the inverse seems to be happening.

The NBA Summer League saw Whitmore play five games on a 31.5-minute per-game average. His shooting numbers inside the arc were respectable. In total, he averaged a 46.5% shooting percentage on all three levels of scoring. However, his outside shot seems to have gotten worse while shooting at a higher volume.

Cam Whitmore and the Rockets' three-point green light

Whitmore was given the green light to chuck shots from way out. This caused him to attempt nearly 8.2 shots from three-point range. It was a huge jump in comparison to his college stint where he only shot 4.2 jumpers in that area. The drawback is that his efficiency went down. Finding a shooting rhythm can be quite hard for a rookie, especially in the fast-paced game of the NBA. This might explain why his three-point percentage went down to a measly 29.3%.

A lot of his regression from three may come from his decision-making during the game. Often, he tries to salvage broken plays by chucking a three rather than trying to read the defense. This causes him to take questionable shots whenever he is on the floor. On some occasions, he tries to heat up by shooting from beyond the arc. However, he does not get enough separation from his defender in those situations. These will gradually improve as he gets mentored by veteran NBA coaches who know their way around shotmaking.

Ime Udoka loves floor spacing and requires it from his forwards. Al Horford and Grant Williams had to develop their outside shot under his system. It will just be a matter of time until Cam Whitmore proves NBA front offices wrong by developing his three-pointer.