With playing time scarce at the NBA level, the Rockets are sending rookie prospect Cam Whitmore to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, their NBA G League developmental affiliate. The news was first reported by Michael Shapiro of Chron.com.
Whitmore, who played college basketball at Villanova, was drafted at No. 20 in the 2023 first round. From there, Whitmore quickly turned heads by winning MVP of the NBA’s 2023 summer league and leading the Rockets to a runner-up finish in Las Vegas.
But at just 19 years old, the versatile 6-foot-7 wing is easily the youngest player on Houston’s roster, and head coach Ime Udoka appears to be prioritizing his bench minutes for veteran role players who can help the team win more games this season.
Thus, rather than sit on the bench and only play sparingly in mop-up duty during the fourth quarter of blowouts, it makes more sense to send Whitmore to Rio Grande, with which he can receive more consistent playing time to bolster his longer-term development.
Whitmore and the Vipers will begin their 2023-24 season (schedule) on Friday, Nov. 10 in Memphis. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Central.
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The Houston Rockets have transferred Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In addition, they have also assigned forward Cam Whitmore to the team.
— RGV Vipers (@RGVVipers) November 7, 2023