Former Rockets' first-round pick is falling apart with no sign of recovery

As the Houston Rockets traded Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards this offseason for two second-round picks, many questioned if they had gotten the value they could have out of the former first-round pick given his youth and the flashes he had shown in his offensive game.

Yet, through his first few games in Washington, Whitmore has shown exactly why he would not fit into a smaller role with the Rockets, and, as his minutes are being cut with the Wizards, his inability to acclimate could bode dangerously for the trajectory of his career.

Although Whitmore certainly has the potential to be a special player, his attitude and his willingness to take on whatever role he needs to have proven to be sub-par, and, if his minutes are being cut on one of the worst teams in the league, that could prove to be a route that takes him straight out of the NBA.

Cam Whitmore so far has proven exactly why the Rockets needed to trade him

In part, the Whitmore trade was a side effect of the depth and the versatility of Houston's young core. Although Whitmore averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in his first two seasons with the Rockets, his minutes being cut in his second season to make room for a larger role for Tari Eason did not bode well for his continued development.

Therefore, in deciding to move him to the Wizards, it was conceivable that Houston made the best choice for both parties. The Rockets would get to move on from a young asset while he still had value, and Whitmore would be able to take on a significant role on a bottom-feeding team.

Yet, on Whitmore's end, it has not yet played out that way. In their recent game against the Dallas Mavericks, Washington's coach, Brian Keefe, called a timeout following a bad shot choice from Whitmore, and Whitmore responded angrily, throwing pieces of a chair from the team's bench onto the floor.

While Whitmore played a full 20 minutes in their next game against the Charlotte Hornets, he scored just 10 points as the team got blown out.

Therefore, in their overtime thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers, Whitmore played only 13 minutes. While he shot the ball effectively, going 4-of-7 from the field, having your minutes cut this early into your tenure with a team is not a good sign at all.

While it has only been four games, Whitmore will need to make quick adjustments to his attitude in order to find his footing in his new organization, and it has become clear that it would not have been viable to keep him in Houston and continue to minimize his role drastically.