25 points + 24 points! From no ball to supernova, no one in the whole league wants it, and the Rockets have picked up a big leak
When there are too many core players in a team, there are always young players who are more difficult to get opportunities, without the ball, and even the best talented wizards may be buried. For example, the Warriors' No. 7 show Kuminga, before, Kerr has been reluctant to give Kuminga more balls and opportunities, resulting in him wanting to rise super but unable to do anything, now, Kuminga withstood the pressure, broke out wildly, and finally proved himself with data and strength and conquered Kerr. In the last 15 games, Kuminga has contributed an average of 22.1 points + 5.8 rebounds + 2.7 assists per game, which is very sharp. 25 points + 24 points! From no ball to supernova, no one in the whole league wants it, and the Rockets have picked up a big leak.
The Houston Rockets have too many young players right now, which has also led to some young players not getting enough opportunities to play. At the beginning of the season, Rockets head coach Udoka arranged it this way, letting Shen Jing + Jalen Green + Jabari Smith + VanVleet + Dillon start the game, and Tari Eason, Tate and Amen Thompson and others played on the bench. Whitmore, the No. 20 pick of the Rockets, was assigned to play in the Development League by Udoka because Udoka wanted Whitmore to develop stronger defensive ability in the Development League. Even though Whitmore was the MVP of the Summer League and played well in the preseason, Udoka still wanted him to settle down.
At the beginning of the season, Whitmore was in a state where there was no ball to play in the NBA, and sometimes, when the game ended up in garbage time, Whitmore only got 2-3 minutes of playing time, which was very pitiful. However, this did not dampen Whitmore's confidence. Whitmore averaged 26.8 points per game in the Development League (the highest in the Development League) to regain Udoka's recognition. So, at the end of December last year, the Rockets coaching staff recalled Whitmore, who was finally back in the NBA. Whitmore has played off the bench with the Rockets since January, and his stats and performances have been outstanding.
According to statistics released by the American media, Whitmore has contributed an average of 16.8 points + 5.2 rebounds + 1.2 assists per game in the last 20 games, with a shooting rate of 53.6%, a three-point shooting rate of 45.5%, and a free throw shooting rate of 92.8%. In the regular season between the Rockets and the Raptors, Whitmore shot 10 of 17 and efficiently scored 25 points + 6 rebounds + 3 assists + 2 steals. In the game between the Rockets and the Hornets, Whitmore scored 24 points + 11 rebounds + 2 assists. The Rockets and the Lakers played against each other, and Whitmore shot 8 of 12 and scored 20 points + 6 rebounds + 1 assist + 1 steal. Even when playing as a substitute, Whitmore's stats and efficiency are excellent.
In the No. 20 pick of the class of 2023, Whitmore has gone from being without a ball at the beginning of the season to becoming one of the Rockets' superstars, which has attracted much attention. Whitmore is 2.01 meters tall and weighs 107 kilograms, and he has a lot of jumping ability and explosiveness, and he likes to break through the basket and dunk (but he is also prone to injury). This guy is really desperate to burst out of his basketball talent, and he's eager to realize his talent and potential and let the whole league know what he's really capable of. Whitmore is well aware of the pain of not having the ball to play and the humiliation of playing in the Development League, so he cherishes every opportunity to play in the NBA and tries his best to express himself.
The most interesting point is that in the 2023 NBA Draft, the American media reported that Whitmore had a knee injury + personality problems (he had a bad relationship with his college coach), which directly led to Whitmore's draft market going all the way down. The teams with lotto picks did not dare to pick Whitmore. No one in the whole league dared to ask for it, and the management of the Rockets made a No. 20 pick, gambled a lot, and picked up Whitmore, but I didn't expect that this really won the lottery. Whitmore's talent and strength are surprising enough, he is only 19 years old, and his true strength has not yet been fully developed. Now many NBA experts, reporters and fans are more optimistic about Whitmore's development prospects, this young man has the talent and skills to become a powerful star, and the future is promising.