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PHOENIX — About 40 minutes had passed since the rockets lost a wire-to-wire contest to the Sunsbut Cam Whitmore he remained in his uniform, sitting at his locker with both feet in an ice bucket.
The hot newbie, who had an altercation with Suns star Devin Booker Halfway through the fourth quarter (the second in less than a week) he was still full of energy, trying to decompress. Sitting next to him was the third year guard. pull greenalready showered, dressed and ready to board the team bus.
green, who he had scored 34 points that night In a revolutionary performance of sorts, he has adopted a “next game” mentality since entering the NBA. Never succumb to the lows, never exaggerate the highs. Green conveyed it through his tone and body language in a conversation with Whitmore, reassuring and almost nurturing the 19-year-old.
““It’s important,” Green said. The Athletic about his responsibility to help his rookie teammate. “I was in his place two years ago. This is my third year. I’m starting to get to that point where they look at me as someone who’s been in the league for a while, someone they respect and who I learn from. The good the bad the ugly. Very important”.
The fact that their lockers were next to each other was a departure from the norm.
In Houston, Green’s station is located at the far end of the locker room, closest to the shower entrance, next to the veteran point guard. Fred VanVleet‘s. Whitmore’s is more centralized, grouped with Tari Eason’s and Dillon Brooks’. That design is intentional at home, and even on the road, Green and Whitmore aren’t typically locker room buddies.
But part of the Rockets’ crazy schedule after the All-Star break involved two straight games against the Suns, that is, four days in a row in Phoenix. Such rarity allowed Green and Whitmore to spend more time together. Like their chemistry on and off the court, their relationship has been a pleasant surprise.
It first blossomed at the Thomas & Mack Center last July during summer league, when Green showed up to watch the Rockets play. He had originally retreated to the locker room looking Jabari Smith Jr., his teammate and second-year forward who had decided to play in Las Vegas. But once Green returned there, he had the opportunity to meet Whitmore for the first time. There could have been some apprehension or anxiety on both sides as they play the same position. But nothing was forced or out of place. It just felt natural.
“It was good energy, good vibes,” Green said.
Their backgrounds are different: Green grew up in Fresno, California, and Whitmore, an East Coast kid from Odenton, Maryland. But their similarities are clear: young, talented athletic players who could jump out of the gym. For each one, it was like seeing an image reflected in a mirror.
“It was nothing but love,” Whitmore said. “We just clicked. In general, we are kids when we play basketball, so the chemistry off the court is always there.”
On the court, the Green-Whitmore combination is one that head coach Ime Udoka has flirted with, but has not committed to a full relationship. Given the Rockets’ offensive struggles this season (they’ve been in the bottom 10 for most of the season and rank 28th in points scored per 100 possessions since the All-Star break), there’s an opportunity to experiment with the duo, especially since Houston’s dreams of reaching the Play-In tournament are all but dashed at this point. (The Rockets began Friday six games behind the the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 10 spot with only 20 games left in the season).
“They complement each other well, they are two wings that attack and are aggressive,” said Udoka. “When they are both running on the wings and defending at a higher pace, we like to see what they are doing together. “Two dynamic scorers, and we’ve taken a look at that.”
You could attribute the Rockets’ offensive woes to any number of factors (the gradual implementation of a new system, lack of practice time, roster construction, poor shooting) but the overall theme is a considerable amount of untapped potential. to explore outside of the VanVleet. Alperen Şengün two-man game.
In Green and Whitmore, the Rockets have, at worst, a pair of 99th percentile athletes who can score at all three levels. Houston’s season has not gone as expected, but the dynamism of both young wings has had positive effects at various points. They form a duo that can change games individually for an offense that is constantly looking for a spark. Why not play them more together?
““We are one of the best athletes on the team and we can arguably be the best in the NBA,” Whitmore said. “When you put two and two together, and at that point, he should be unstoppable in transition. “It should work long term.”
For what it’s worth, both Green and Whitmore understand his potential. It’s not a topic that dominates daily conversations, although Green has spoken with Whitmore and his rookie teammate. Amen Thompson to maximize his lethal combination of size, speed, power and talent, especially in the open court. Udoka, despite using a starting lineup with players who are not known for his speed, has insisted on the issue of increasing the pace. Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have logged 102.7 possessions per night, fourth-most in the league.
Pace is not a general metric and there are different lenses through which coaches view it: Udoka not only watches how quickly his team gets up the court, but also how quickly he gets into sets and actions in half-court situations. , but the data suggests the Rockets need to run more. According to Cleaning the Glass, Houston ranks 23rd in transition frequency and 15th in points per possession in those situations. When their aggressive defense presents them with steals, they convert them into transition opportunities at the third-highest rate in the league and score 1.6 points per possession on such plays, which ranks ninth.
There are other areas where the Rockets need to clean up their offensive profile; His scoring efficiency with live rebounds and made shots ranks 18th and 24th, respectively, according to InPredictable. But playing Green and Whitmore more together should be in the cards, if only to gather more data between now and the end of the regular season. It would be one thing if his skills were redundant and led to an inefficient offense, but so far it’s been the opposite. In 183 minutes, the Rockets are outscoring their opponents by an average of 7.3 points per 100 possessions when both Green and Whitmore are on the court. It makes you think.
Putting a body in front of one of these athletes is already a challenge in the half court. Try doing it on the open floor when one runs towards you. Now, try both at the same time. There’s a reason both Green and Whitmore encourage running so much: It’s their forte and can be tough to defend off the back foot.
The benefit of having multiple sports tools is that you can create advantageous situations in more ways than one. Not everything has to be a straight line slam. While Whitmore possesses power and strength, Green is slippery and wiry. They possess a combination of attributes that gives defenders headaches when used correctly. Both are capable of finishing plays consistently.
“You have us on the team and we are considered the most athletic in the league,” Green said. “Running, jumping, things like that. So when we’re there, a lot of teams can’t keep up with that pace. We just take advantage of it when we can: rebound, defend and make stops, that’s when we go out and run.”
As lethal as Green and Whitmore can be in transition, they can be just as effective in the halfcourt by taking advantage of their skills. Green handles the ball decently and has improved considerably in his reads when the ball is in his hands. A possession like this puts everything into practice: Green’s gravity, Whitmore’s spacing and, in cases like this, better decision-making. Additionally, both young wings combine for a tidy 3.14 assist-to-turnover ratio when the ball is in their hands. VanVleet should tear down this look.
“If I’m on the wing, I’ll do a drive or a drive and kick,” Green said. “(Whitmore) is a crazy shooter, you’re going to have to respect his shot and go out there. You can’t really help him too much.”
The easiest and clearest way for both sides to earn more minutes together under Udoka doesn’t involve scoring, but how much they impact the game defensively. Because of Whitmore’s size, Udoka likes to move him around the court and match him up with small forwards and power forwards. Green’s frame reduces the number of positions he can reasonably defend, but because of his verticality and quickness, there are situations he can take advantage of when he is fully committed on that end of the floor. Since play resumed, in 41 minutes together, Green and Whitmore are a massive plus-28.3 with a stingy defensive rating of 101.1, according to NBA.com tracking data. That kind of information is hard to ignore, especially contextualized with a coach who loves defensive intensity and a system that has progressed since last season.
“If the goal is there (they are two of our best wing scorers), the main thing that has happened to them has been defensive intensity and concentration,” Udoka said. “When they are focused and doing well, they bring different skill sets. Cam is a big body who can duplicate some of the things Dillon (Brooks) does. If Jalen is focused, not only on his matchup, but also on the help side and making proper rotations, his scoring is an added bonus. “I’m really trying to help them get better on the defensive end and not be labeled as just offensive guys.”
Of course, in any young couple there are aspects that can be improved. Both Green and Whitmore are far from finished products, and because they have spent less time together than other young perimeter duos around the league, some offensive possessions can become clunky and their defensive intensity can wane.
Watch Green and Whitmore express confusion here on the designated set, looking to Udoka for clarification before returning to a VanVleet-Şengün action.
However, the Green-Whitmore couple wants and deserves more time together on the court. Whitmore attributes the amount of reps she receives with the coaching staff and the 1-5 sessions to working on reads that translate into game action. Likewise, Green has simplified her game recently, allowing her to grow individually. Development doesn’t always move in a straight upward trajectory, and given all the changes the Rockets have gone through this past offseason, the idea of a Green-Whitmore tandem on the wing might not have been that high. But they know the level he can reach, and others know it too.
“T-Mac and Vince Carter when they arrived in Toronto”. Scissors said head coach Ty Lue. The Athletic. “He reminds me a lot of those two guys. Two very athletic guys who know how to play together. Kind of like the same duo here in Houston.”
Green and Whitmore can see it too.
“The chemistry is there,” Whitmore said. “It’s the things off the court that bring us closer. “Once you have it, it translates on the court.”
(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)
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