Why Cam Whitmore's impressive game is huge for the Rockets

The Houston Rockets may have too much young talent.

If you make that complaint to the fans of most teams, it will fall on deaf ears. You will not find sympathy. That's fair. Most teams would like to add talented young players however they can.

The Rockets have a surplus, which crowds the rotation. This is an archetypical "rich person's problem," but it can prove problematic. There are young players on this roster who are not getting sufficient opportunities to showcase their abilities.

None has felt the squeeze as severely as Cam Whitmore.

It's a dead horse, yet here I am beating it. It's hard to place the blame. Ime Udoka should not be obliged to play someone he does not trust when he's coaching a playoff hopeful. Whitmore's decision-making remains questionable. Still, if he was on a rebuilding team, he'd have earned a substantial role by now.

He proved that point against the Lakers on Friday.

Rockets' Whitmore shines in rare opportunity

Whitmore had 34 points on 13/19 shooting (including a 7/12 mark from downtown) to go with 8 rebounds.

He could not be stopped. Whitmore was getting buckets on all three levels. He was getting them however he wanted them.

Sure, it was meaningless in the scope of the 2024-25 season. The Rockets got decimated for the second game in a row. The final score was 140-109. The Rockets are resting key players with their playoff seeding secured.

It's the right decision. Reed Sheppard delivered a season-best performance in the Rockets' previous game. Whitmore shined against the Lakers. That's important:

Whether the Rockets see Whitmore as part of their future or not.

Rockets' Whitmore puts on meaningful display

Nobody should make assumptions about the Rockets' intentions with Whitmore.

Who knows? They could remain high on his potential. It's possible that the Rockets punted on Whitmore's sophomore year but buy his long-term potential. He could put in an offseason of hard work and come back swinging in 2025-26.

Still, it wouldn't be shocking if the Rockets moved him before the season got underway.

If that's the plan, these games still matter. The Rockets must be thrilled to see Whitmore put on this dazzling display. The better he plays down the stretch, the more trade value he'll have in the summer.

He's not likely to see the floor very often in the playoffs. For Whitmore to establish his trade value, he needs to make hay as the season wears down. He's got one more regular-season game to show the league how talented he is.

Even if he hasn't had many of those opportunities this year.