This is Cam Whitmore’s second chance to prove he belongs in the NBA

WASHINGTON — Cam Whitmore grew up rooting for the Washington Wizards, so two of his happiest experiences as a fan should come as no surprise. In 2015, he loved watching Paul Pierce bank in a buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper from 21 feet to propel the Wizards to a playoff victory over the Atlanta Hawks. In 2017, he watched John Wall hit a 3-pointer late in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, elevating the Wizards over the Boston Celtics.

Whitmore cherishes at least one additional Wizards moment, something that happened recently. On July 5, he and a friend were eating at a Chinese restaurant when he learned that the Houston Rockets had just traded him to Washington. Whitmore expected to be traded after two largely disappointing seasons with Houston, but he did not expect to be sent to his hometown team. He immediately called his parents, who still live in Anne Arundel County, Md., to tell them the great news.

Wizards players such as Wall, Bradley Beal, Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Marcin Gortat fed Whitmore’s love of the game as a child, and now the franchise is giving him something else: a second chance to prove himself as an NBA player in his own right.

In Houston, under coach Ime Udoka, he struggled to earn consistent playing time and battled against the perceptions that he did not like playing defense and did not like creating scoring opportunities for anyone other than himself. In Washington, he’ll have a chance to revive a pro career that hasn’t yet gotten off the ground.

“I want to make my mark in this league, and I want to prove that I can be in this league for a long time and I’m a two-way type of guy,” Whitmore said Monday, on the eve of his first Wizards training camp. “I’m a two-way player, not just one side.”

Whitmore, who turned 21 in July, joins a crowded group of wings that includes Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton, Corey Kispert and rookies Tre Johnson and Will Riley. In that sense, joining the Wizards is not too dissimilar from his time with the Rockets, where he competed against Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason for playing time.
The Wizards acquired him for the relatively rock-bottom price of a pair of future second-round picks.

No one doubts Whitmore’s physical gifts. Perhaps Coulibaly is the only Wizards player who is a better athlete than Whitmore is.

“He obviously didn’t get as much opportunity in Houston for whatever reason,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “But he understands that he’s going to have an opportunity here, but it’s got to be earned. And I don’t know when that’s going to come. But he’s excited. He’s a powerful, explosive, dynamic athlete who can compete on both ends. We’ve got to get him to be consistent. But he’s going to score, put the ball in the hole and make his teammates better and, as a whole, make the group better.”

Bub Carrington, who is from Baltimore, was a childhood friend and teammate of Whitmore’s, and Carrington may understand Whitmore’s game better than anyone else on the roster.

“Cam is going to bring a lot of energy and bring a lot of ‘whoa!’” Carrington said. “You’re going to get out of your seat a lot watching Cam. He’s (an) ultimate competitor. He’s trying to bring it every night. He’s trying to bring it straight to your chest. That’s one thing that we definitely need and appreciate about him on this team.”

Cam Whitmore played in 51 games last season for Houston, averaging 9.4 points per game. (Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)

Whitmore should not lack motivation. When asked about his time with the Rockets on Monday, he said he “felt like I deserved to be on that floor every game.” But he also acknowledged that Houston was in win-now mode and that when Udoka configured his playing rotation, he did what he felt was best for the team. And even Whitmore acknowledged that he could have been a better defender with the Rockets.

“My time in Houston was very subtle,” Whitmore said. “I had spurts of good things and bad things on the court, but I feel like I can improve defensively. I feel that my defense wasn’t very up to par where it should be and what I’m capable of. Offensively … I feel like my three-level type of play can be perfected a little bit. I would say defense is effort and not skill. So if I give effort on the defensive end then everything will work out for itself.”
Washington remains in the early stages of its rebuilding process, and playing time from coach Brian Keefe likely will be more plentiful than it was under Udoka. The Wizards have cast a wide net in search of young players who can develop into stars, and now they’re taking a chance on Whitmore.