After three consecutive seasons, the Rockets finally ended their long rebuilding journey, not only introducing veterans such as VanVleet, Dillon, and Jeff Green in the offseason, but also signing Udoka as the head coach regardless of previous suspicions, who quickly led the team to a reborn performance after joining the Rockets and was well received, but some of Udoka's employment strategies were still questioned by the outside world, and the cautious use of the White Devils was often criticized by fans and the media.
Especially after Whitmore won the MVP in the summer league and went on a big kill in the development league, the outside world is expecting the Rockets to provide more opportunities for the talented young forward.
Since the beginning of the game, Whitmore has played 12 games in the Development League, averaging 35.3 minutes per game, scoring 26.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.8 blocks, with a three-point shooting rate of 49.4%, 39.8% and 81.3%.
Among them, he averaged 26.8 points per game to lead the Development League, and he also ranked 7th in the G League in steals.
And judging from the specific game content, Whitmore is hardly at the same level as the rest of the development league.
In the game, Whitmore relied on his excellent physical fitness, frequently holding the ball to enter the interior line to perform flying dunks, and it is also common for people to dunk.
The finishing ability after holding the ball is also second to none.
The outside three-point opening hand is there.
Fighting back and eating cakes is even more handy.
With such a performance, Whitmore has surpassed Jalen Green in the same period in terms of data.
Jalen Green played in the G League for a season before the draft, averaging 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 36.5% from 3-point range and 82.9% from the free throw line.
Judging from the comparison of data, Whitmore's average points, rebounds, assists, steals, usage rate, overall shooting percentage, and three-point shooting rate are higher than Green's in the same period.
In addition, Whitmore's 25.8% usage rate is also higher than Jalen Green's 22.9%, and higher usage rates mean that the team relies more on a player, and the top players in the NBA are almost all strong contenders for MVP and the absolute core of the team.
So with Whitmore leading Green in eight stats, why didn't the Rockets give the White Devils a chance?
The first point: defense
Udoka is a coach with a strong emphasis on defense, and Whitmore has not shown proper defensive ability and Xi from college to the Development League to part of regular season garbage time.
Considering that Green and Shen Jing, the two cores at the beginning of the season, have been frequently DNP recently due to poor defense, and the young White Devils want to move up, and improving defense will be their most important stepping stone.
The second point: three-point shooting
When Whitmore played in the NBA, more than 60 percent of his stats came from inside finishes, and a third were fast-break goals, shooting just 20 percent from the outside.
For the current Rockets, interior finishing and counter-attacks are not scarce at all, and Whitmore needs to carry over his 39.8 percent shooting percentage in the Development League to the NBA if he wants to make his way out of the league.
The third point: team execution
Whitmore averaged three assists per game in the Development League, a completely different style from the one he showed in garbage time this season.
However, judging from the content of the game, Whitmore is still more focused on individual offense, and if he wants to stay in the regular rotation of the Rockets for a long time, Whitmore needs to better share the ball and improve his team execution.
According to Rockets reporter Kelly Iko, the opportunity for the White Devils is coming, and he expects the White Devils to be recalled by the Rockets soon, especially since the Rockets will have a long home game.
I also hope that the White Devils can seize the opportunity this time, and if they can improve their performance in these three aspects, I believe that Udoka will provide the White Devils with more opportunities to play in the team's predicament.