The Houston Rockets enter the 2023-24 NBA season with one of the more intriguing rosters in the league. The Rockets added several veterans such as Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale in the offseason to complement a crop of young talent that includes Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and this year's No. 4 overall pick Amen Thompson. They also have other interesting young pieces like this year's 20th overall pick Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason, who will all compete for minutes under new head coach Ime Udoka.
With plenty of additions during the summer and the continuing development of its young guys, it will be interesting how Udoka will manage his rotations. The Rockets' decision to bring in a group of vets clearly indicates their intentions to become competitive this upcoming season.
With the current construction of their roster, the Rockets actually have solid depth across all positions. Several players will inevitably need to compete for consistent minutes in the Rockets rotation. With that said, here is the one Rockets player who should have a standout preseason to solidify his rotation spot.
Rockets player who must have a good preseason to solidify rotation spot: Cam Whitmore
In the lead-up to the 2023 NBA Draft, mock drafts projected Cam Whitmore to go as high as 4th overall, which ironically would have still landed the 19-year-old in Houston. However, health-related concerns as well as lackluster pre-draft interviews caused the should-have-been lottery-bound Whitmore to fall drastically in the draft. Nonetheless, Whitmore still wound up becoming a Rocket, the very same team that could have taken him as high as No. 4.
Many saw the Villanova standout as the steal of the draft, considering Houston got the supposed lottery pick at 20th overall. Whitmore showed exactly why during his first taste of NBA basketball back in July during the Las Vegas Summer League. Throughout the tournament, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.0 steals to help lead the Rockets to the Summer League Finals, where they fell short to the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the loss, Whitmore still made other teams regret their decisions to pass on him during the draft. But even with his strong showing in Las Vegas, his spot in the Rockets rotation still isn't set in stone. Houston has a ton of depth in the wing position, which could make it difficult for Whitmore to crack regular minutes under Ime Udoka.
Houston's 2021 No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green along with free agent signee Dillon Brooks should be the de facto starters on the wings throghout the season. Jae'Sean Tate, currently the longest-tenured Rockets player on the roster, should remain a fixture in the rotation given Udoka's preference for defensive players. Tari Eason also showed enough upside in his rookie season to earn more minutes in his sophomore year. The Rockets even added veteran guard Reggie Bullock to further beef up their wing depth.
With the abundance of guards and forwards on the Rockets roster, where does that leave the 19-year-old Whitmore? Does he give the vets a run for their money? Is he going to put Ime Udoka in a tough spot and force the new coach's hand to give him a pretty significant role in his first year in the league?
Whitmore did exactly what he needed to do in his preseason debut, where the Rockets beat the Pacers 122-103. The 19-year-old was a stud with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with four rebounds, one steal, and three three-pointers. Whitmore was also a team-high +21 in 17 minutes of action.
If Whitmore continues to play the way he did on Tuesday, Udoka will have no choice but to make the rookie a fixture in his rotation.
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