With starters Bilal Coulibaly (lower left leg tightness) and Kyshawn George (illness) sidelined on Friday, it looked like a prime chance for the Wizards’ young players to step up.
However, forward Cam Whitmore saw just over five minutes of action – all in the first quarter – during Washington’s blowout loss to Cleveland, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar.
Shankar noted that this marked the fourth consecutive game in which the player’s minutes have decreased. Despite that trend, head coach Brian Keefe told reporters before the game that the decision wasn’t a reflection of Whitmore’s play.
“Cam’s going to continue to play, he’s doing good,” Keefe said.
Yet against the Cavaliers, other reserve wings logged far more time on the court. Jamir Watkins and Corey Kispert each played 20 minutes, Justin Champagnie added 19, and Will Riley saw 10 – all surpassing Whitmore’s limited stint.
After the game, Keefe explained that he wanted to experiment with different rotations and evaluate how other players, particularly Watkins, would handle extended minutes.
“We wanted to see what some of the other guys could do,” he said, per Shankar.
The Wizards traded two second-round picks to Houston over the summer to acquire Whitmore, the 20th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Still just 21 years old, the athletic small forward remains part of Washington’s long-term plans and will be eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension in the offseason.
Wizards Notes: Whitmore, T. Johnson, Sarr, Front Office https://t.co/2BpngSYgwd pic.twitter.com/e7XMnZztRS
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) November 8, 2025
