Amen Thompson became the fifth Houston Rockets youngster in the last four years to earn an All-Rookie nod following the NBA’s announcement Monday afternoon. Thompson’s fellow 2023 rookie on Houston’s roster didn’t receive such a designation.
Houston guard Cam Whitmore fell short of the All-Rookie first or second team after he appeared on just three of 100 ballots. One teammate was less than pleased with the omission.
Rockets forward Tari Eason—an All-Rookie second team selection in 2023—took to social media on Monday, asking fans and media to “go and watch film [and] tell me if you can definitively say there’s [nine] rookies better” than Whitmore.
Go and watch film tell me if you can definitively say there’s 9 rookies better than cam whitmore🤔🤦🏾♂️
— Tari Eason (@TAR13ASON) May 20, 2024
Perhaps Eason is simply sticking up for his young teammate, but it is a bit puzzling to see 14 players receive more All-Rookie votes than Whitmore. The Villanova product finished No. 7 among rookies in points per game (12.3) and No. 4 in made threes per game, serving as an instant-offense weapon for Houston off the bench. The Rockets occasionally used Whitmore as their closing shooting guard in place of Jalen Green, and there were stretches last season in which Whitmore was the team’s best perimeter scorer.
Houston debated taking Whitmore over Thompson last summer, then landed both players when Whitmore puzzlingly tumbled out of the lottery. Whitmore’s draft-night loss was the Rockets’ gain. For an organization still searching for enough offensive production, Whitmore is now something of an integral piece. He should make both his draft slide and All-Rookie omission look foolish in 2024-25 and beyond.
The Rockets thrived with their non-lottery selections in particular in recent years, snagging Whitmore, Eason and franchise anchor Alperen Şengün. A chance to land another building block comes at the top of the draft this summer. Houston has the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, a gift from the lottery gods as the Rockets moved up in May’s lottery with their Brooklyn Nets pick (thanks again, James Harden).
