Is Cam Whitmore playing tonight against Washington Wizards? Latest on Rockets forward's status for summer league game (July 14)

Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore balled out in his 2024 summer league debut on Thursday. He's set to play against the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas.

Whitmore had 20 points and 10 rebounds against the LA Lakers. They'll face the Wizards next, who are led by No. 2 overall choice Alex Sarr. The French center went 4-12 from the field in their first game, but he was a defensive force in the paint, recording four blocks. They held off No. 1 overall choice Zaccharie Risacher's 18 points to secure a four-point victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Whitmore averaged 12.5 points per game in one season for the Villanova Wildcats. The 6-foot-5 forward boasts a 40-plus-inch vertical and showed flashes of playmaking and shooting in his first year in Houston.

It's perhaps a shock to see Whitmore in the summer league again after he took home the MVP award from the league last summer. He averaged 19.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in Las Vegas last year before scoring 12.3 points per game off the bench in his first season for the Rockets.

He said he's committed to playing a central role for the team this summer and has his eyes on the Vegas title.

“This year, I’m going to keep that same intensity, keep that same mentality, just try to spread it around the other guys to win the championship," Whitmore said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

Cam Whitmore shows out in first game with Houston Rockets

The former Villanova star helped lead the Rockets to a big 99-80 win over the LA Lakers on Friday.

He shared a special connection with Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard, saving a bad alley-oop pass by simply jumping above the rim to secure the lob.

The second-year forward was seen coaching up Sheppard during a timeout in the second half of the game against LA. The two combined for 43 points in the win. Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick, dazzled with 23 points on 9-17 shooting with an impressive 4-6 clip from deep.

They were on the receiving end of another dismal effort by Lakers rookie Bronny James, who went 0-8 from three-point range. James had just eight points in 26 minutes and three turnovers in the loss.

The Rockets tip off with the Wizards at 6 p.m. EST in Las Vegas.