Cam gave a post-game where he appeared a little disgruntled. Should he get more playing time?
Cam Whitmore helped the Houston Rockets to victory in their 110-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Whitmore finished the game with 18 points on 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep to go with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He then gave an interesting post-game interview that some are looking at as a disgruntled player questioning his role.
#Rockets beat the Mavs 110-99
Cam Whitmore 18 PTS / 7-9 FG / 3 REB
He spoke with the media after the @HoustonRockets WIN pic.twitter.com/2u4367Kts4
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) January 2, 2025
Whitmore is now averaging 14 points per game over his last four contests, and there’s no doubting he’s provided Houston with the instant offense the team needs.
Cam Whitmore is averaging 14.0 PPG on 68.4% TS in 18.6 MPG over his last four pic.twitter.com/XHygDKleTA
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 2, 2025
With the Rockets struggling to score efficient offense, it’s easy to see how Whitmore could be frustrated. He started off the season ice cold, was sent to the G Legaue, came back, and seems to have rediscovered his mojo. He was vital in the win over Dallas. But one thing to remember, as our old colleague points out, even at his best, it’s not all flowers and rainbows with Cam.
Cam Whitmore is averaging 1.5 assists per 75. It’s a comically low number. You won’t find me a high volume offensive player in this league who’s comparable.
That’s what he needs to fix to get on the floor. All the talent, but he can’t be an outlier-level ball hog
— James Piercey (@JamesPiercey11) January 2, 2025
There are even some out there who didn’t think there was anything between the lines with Whitmore’s short answers. After all, he was a notoriously poor interviewer at the NBA combine, where teams questioned his emotional makeup. It’s the reason he fell to the Rockets at 20 in the 2023 NBA Draft.
I kinda took this as Whitmore being hard on himself and not real interested in doing media obligations than anything specifically about how mad he is at role and at the team? Maybe I’m wrong. https://t.co/qyOGuEA8te
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 2, 2025
What side are you on TDSers? There are two questions here. Is Whitmore publicly complaining about his playing time? And then does he deserve more playing time? With Whitmore providing many of the things the Rockets are currently lacking in the scoring department, it would be easy to jump to yes, he’s asking and yes, he deserves it. But this Rockets team also pays the bills with defense, which Whitmore is inconsistent at best at. Not to mention his all-time level ball hog tendencies that James pointed out.
Tell us in the comments what you’re thinking. Is Cam complaining or just a poor communicator? Do you think he deserves more playing time or needs to improve his defense and passing first?