Tomorrow at 9 a.m., December 12, Beijing time, the Rockets will host the San Antonio Spurs, and this game will be the next big game. Although the Rockets lost to the Spurs on the road in their first meeting this season, the two teams are now very different. The Rockets have beaten the Thunder and Nuggets in quick succession, and their record has reached 10-9, and the winning rate has exceeded 50% again.
In contrast, the Spurs are still at the bottom of the West, mired in a losing streak. Therefore, the Rockets' home win over the Spurs seems like a no-brainer. However, the Rockets have the characteristics of being strong when they are strong and weaker when they are weak, which makes coach Udoka feel a little helpless. As a result, he decided to recall point guard Amen Thompson from the Development League Vipers in preparation for the Spurs.
While the Rockets' point guards VanVleet and Holiday were both excellent, Amen Thompson's versatile qualities made him another great addition to the team's strength. Regrettably, despite Amen Thompson's recall, small forward Whitmore, who had 42 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the previous game, failed to make the difference. Udoka's attitude towards the two rookies is markedly different, and the expectations for them are different.
Whitmore's draft pick was expected to be a top-eight pick, but he was selected only with the 20th pick in the first round, allegedly because of rumors about his knee injury, which turned most teams off him. Ultimately, the Rockets chose Whitmore because they scouted him and practiced in Houston during the offseason. Overall, Udoka's attitude towards the two rookies is clearly different.
Thompson has re-established himself on the Rockets' first-line lineup. However, despite Whitmore's impressive performance of 42 points and 7 rebounds in one game, he failed to catch Udoka's attention because he has yet to be recalled. This is not without reason.
First of all, Whitmore's position is small forward, and the Rockets already have a number of players who excel at this position, such as Dillon Brooks, Tate, Tari Eason, and even Jalen Green has the ability to take on this role on an ad hoc basis. Second, Whitmore is just a rookie, and he's the youngest player on the Rockets.
Despite his scoring prowess, he still needs to improve in terms of passing and defense, which is one of the reasons why the Rockets are keeping a wait-and-see attitude towards him. Udoka plans to send Whitmore to the Development League in the first half of the season to see how he performs, and then recall him late in the season before he has a chance to break into the first team and challenge other players.