Rockets' Cam Whitmore needs to fix this part of his game to get on the floor

Some Houston Rockets fans pride themselves in having a "core seven". Bearers of bad news have long been speaking an uncomfortable truth:

There's no such thing as a core seven.

Somebody will inevitably be left out. This is a group of recent lottery picks, players who garnered lottery consideration, and the inexplicably slept-on Tari Eason. Nobody here aims to be the best seventh man in NBA history.

This is why it's been regularly suggested that a consolidation trade is inevitable. The Rockets need to identify the three or four guys they're committed to, and bring in a star to round the rest of the group out. So far, it doesn't look like Cam Whitmore is one of those guys:

He's beginning to get frustrated.

Rockets' Cam Whitmore salty in postgame interview

Let's review the interview in question.

If you're at work or somewhere where audio isn't available, Whitmore says that he "doesn't think" the 24 minutes he played against the Mavericks qualify as "consistent minutes", and that he "(doesn't) know what other things (he) can do" to get on the floor.

To be clear, Whitmore deserves some sympathy. He's flashed immense potential at the NBA level, and he hasn't been rewarded. That said, he ought to know what more he could do to find more minutes in the Rockets' rotation:

It's painfully obvious

Rockets' Whitmore needs to plug hole in game

Whitmore is averaging 1.5 assists per 75 possessions.

Per 75 is seen as a good extrapolation because an average NBA starter will play 75 possessions in an average NBA game. That means that if Whitmore saw starter minutes, he'd get an assist every game - maybe 2.

That's not a low number. It's an outlier. Go ahead and scour the NBA. You won't find a player with a prominent offensive role who matches that number. Whitmore's willingness to pass is comically low.

One could object that assists aren't a fair measure. What if Whitmore is setting up teammates who are missing?

Nope. Whitmore is passing the ball 7.5 times per game.

Low minutes? Try again. Whitmore plays 13.2 minutes per contest. Jae'Sean Tate plays 8.7, and he passes the ball 8.6 times per game.

No matter how you slice it, Whitmore is a black hole. It's fine to be a score-first player - Whitmore should play to his strengths. He still needs to pass more frequently than he has. As long as he remains one of the most selfish offensive players in the NBA, he's likely to remain discontended with his role:

He'll be a seventh man on this team at best.