HOUSTON — Most avid coffee drinkers tell you the Keurig machine, a single-cup beverage system invented by John Sylvan and Peter Dragone in the early 1990s, is a wonderful appliance to have in their home.
Gone are the days of having to wait for your coffee to take a while to brew. The Keurig will make you a hot cup of Joe within seconds, simply by loading the cup and pressing start.
I don’t know if Rockets head coach Ime Udoka drinks coffee, but having his own form of a human Keurig, rookie forward Cam Whitmore, helps him in many games. The 20th selection in the 2023 NBA draft out of Villanova has provided instant offense off the bench since returning from the G League, where he spent time developing his game while the Rockets figured out their wing logjam.
Whitmore, 19, is averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in his last three games, including a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds in Friday’s 138-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. He has scored 252 points in 377 minutes of play this season while shooting 48% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.
What is more impressive is that his scoring outbursts don’t take long to happen, as the Los Angeles Lakers witnessed Monday at Toyota Center. Whitmore scored 12 points in just under four game minutes to begin his night, and he finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds in Houston’s 135-119 blowout win over the Lakers.
Houston Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore has gained a lot of trust from the Rockets coaching staff and it has paid off in increased minutes on the floor. Listen to what he had to learn early on from the G-League in order to become a part of the rotation. #Rockets #Sarge #RocketsWire pic.twitter.com/cScwwPY3qB
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) January 29, 2024
“I am not going to lie to you; it was kind of different tonight,” Whitmore told Rockets Wire about his scorching first quarter. “We had Bron (LeBron James), so I had to come out more aggressive.”
Coach Udoka has taken notice of Whitmore’s ability to score efficiently during his rookie campaign.
“That’s who he’s been his whole career so far,” Udoka said postgame. “His energy has been great. With that second unit playing fast like that, they really get stops and get out and play with that pace.”
Pairing Whitmore with fellow rookie Amen Thompson gives the Rockets bench a more up-tempo style. That differs from the Fred VanVleet- and Alperen Sengun-led starting unit, which often functions better in a half-court setting. It is something both rookies have noticed when they are on the court together.
“Me and Amen both play fast, and we are very athletic. Once we get downhill, it is almost unstoppable,” Whitmore told Rockets Wire.
Cam Whitmore with 3 NASTY dunks in a 4-minute span 😱 pic.twitter.com/3KxMswB3JL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 30, 2024
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham only received a small glimpse of Whitmore during their early December matchup when he was inserted into the game during mop-up duty. Even then, his 5 points and 3 rebounds in 3 minutes seemed to impress him.
During Monday’s pregame press conference, Ham thought about what could have been had the Lakers drafted Whitmore, who they had at their facility during pre-draft workouts. They instead used their pick to select Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino three spots ahead of Houston, which drafted Whitmore at No. 20 in the 2023 first round.
“He is another bright, young superstar that is going to be in our league for a long time,” Ham said. “That kid is going to be special. His biggest issue is going to be health, making sure he is taking care of his body and taking care of himself. But the skill is there. The ability to shoot the ball is there, and he has some good coaching around him where he is going to be able to grow and develop.”
“Just another bright superstar that is going to be in our league a long time,” said Los Angeles Lakers HC Darvin Ham about Houston Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore #Rockets #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/WjkLksafvb
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) January 30, 2024
Whitmore may never go by “The Keurig” as a nickname. Still, the metaphor describes him perfectly, just as “The Microwave” did for Vinnie Johnson, a former Pistons player and two-time champion. Like Whitmore, Johnson was instant offense off Detroit’s bench.
Whitmore and the Rockets (22-24) look to keep their momentum rolling when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (26-21) on Wednesday night at Toyota Center. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Central.
