Cam Whitmore (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards issued a clarification this week regarding Cam Whitmore’s recent “Did Not Play” designation, responding to speculation surrounding the 21-year-old forward after head coach Brian Keefe initially referenced team standards when explaining the decision.
A Wizards spokesperson told RG that Whitmore “has not missed a Wizards practice, shootaround or walkthrough,” adding that he “had an excused absence from Friday’s practice due to illness” and was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game for the same reason. The team emphasized the DNP was not disciplinary.
Grant Afseth, whose reporting detailed concerns related to Whitmore’s day-to-day approach and the internal context behind the coaching staff’s decision, stands by his reporting.
Keefe’s Shift in Tone
The team’s public posture changed noticeably over several days. On Friday, immediately after Whitmore did not play against the Atlanta Hawks, Keefe framed the decision around performance standards.
“We have certain standards that we have for our team,” Keefe said that night. “[Whitmore] has to live up to those. And he’ll have a chance here, but that’s gonna be up to him when that time comes.”
Whitmore entered the game questionable with an illness before being upgraded to available and ultimately remained on the bench as the only active Wizard who did not appear.
By Wednesday, Keefe offered a far softer explanation during his weekly appearance on The Sports Junkies, recasting the decision as more rotational than disciplinary.
“We were looking at different rotations. We hadn’t played well in the games before that. We wanted to try something new,” Keefe said.
“[Whitmore] didn’t do anything wrong himself, but he’s learning our system … We wanted to give some other guys a chance.”
Conflicting Impressions and Rising Internal Competition
Afseth’s reporting noted that Washington’s concerns were tied more to day-to-day work than isolated in-game moments. One source told RG: “If you’re trying to establish yourself in the NBA, you need to show up to practice.”
Whitmore has averaged 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists across 21 games this season. Meanwhile, rookie Will Riley has taken advantage of increased minutes, averaging 11.7 points over his past three games and fitting well within the system – a development that naturally tightens competition for court time.
Whitmore’s situation in Washington sits within a broader pattern that has followed him since entering the league: the juxtaposition of elite physical talent with organizational concerns about daily consistency.
He was widely projected as a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft – with several mocks placing him in the top 10 – before unexpectedly sliding to Houston at No. 20. Speculation immediately surfaced regarding medical concerns, which Whitmore rejected outright.
“I promise you there’s not,” he said after being drafted. “I have no idea. I don’t know what happened. But I feel fine. It’s my body. If they think it’s something different, they have their own opinions. But at the end of the day, it’s my body.”
Whitmore responded with a dominant showing in Las Vegas, winning the 2023 NBA Summer League MVP and flashing the upside that once made him one of the most highly regarded prospects in his class. But despite stretches of scoring production in Houston, he never secured consistent rotational trust under Ime Udoka.
Those concerns resurfaced when the Rockets traded him to Washington in July 2025 as part of a three-team deal involving two second-round picks – a move several executives privately viewed as both a talent bet for Washington and an acknowledgment that Houston was not sold on the long-term fit.
What Comes Next
Washington continues to characterize Whitmore’s absence as illness-related and rotational in nature, with Keefe publicly emphasizing development and opportunity for all young players. However, the diverging explanations from Friday to Wednesday – paired with Whitmore’s career-long pattern of talent-versus-consistency questions – have kept the matter in the spotlight.
For Whitmore, the path forward remains familiar: stabilizing his role through consistent professionalism and on-court impact. For Washington, the priority remains establishing a young core built on daily standards – the same standards referenced as the team searches for clarity in a 3-19 season.