How the Rockets plan for a top-5 defense: Cam Whitmore, 'inch outs' and restraint

LAS VEGAS On the first possession of Reed Sheppard s second professional basketball game, the Houston Rockets rookie made a mistake.

Well, almost .

Following the tip-off, Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis Sheppards assignment quickly lifted from the right corner to engage in a dribble handoff with Justin Champagnie on the right wing.

Instinctively, Sheppard attempted to latch on to Davis, understanding he would likely be targeted early in the shot clock.

Advertisement But Cam Whitmore , Sheppards new teammate, saw the action coming and knew the effective counter.

Whitmore instantly switched the matchup, urging Sheppard to watch Champagnie and nudging him in the opposite direction before proceeding to hound Davis around the floor until a foul call sent him to the free-throw line.

It was a simple sequence, one often lost in a basketball game.

But it was a common theme exhibited by the second-year forward that month attention to defensive detail and vocal communication two areas that correspond and aspects Whitmore struggled with during his first season in the NBA .

Part of the reason the Rockets coaching staff appreciated Whitmore opting to play at summer league was a close view of his growth on that side of the floor.

Hes embraced that role of talking more defensively, Rockets assistant Garrett Jackson said at summer league.

And I hope that carries over to the regular season.

When were playing, I hope hes talking and engaged the way he is here.

Getting young players, especially those like Whitmore blessed with athleticism and offensive potential, to commit to consistent defense can be a tough ask.

Whitmore plays with power and aggression, using his strength to put pressure on opponents.

But the internal thought process, at least from the coaching staff, is that he can leverage those physical traits at the other end of the floor.

Whitmore has the tools to be an imposing defender if he commits mentally.

I think his on-ball defense is really good already, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said following practice earlier this week.

To your point about being physical and strong, guys arent going to just seek him to go at him.

But with the case of most guys, young guys especially, the off-ball recognition of things is a big piece of it.

The alertness, communication and having the game slow down is going to help him.

Thats the biggest emphasis for him.

Were playing full-team defense.

Advertisement To Whitmores credit and Udokas point his rookie season didnt show him as a defensive liability, more so a player who could be molded.

For example, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Rockets registered a 113.7 defensive rating when Whitmore was on the floor, compared to a 112.7 when he was off.

Its not an exact comparison, but Houston still performed like a top-10 defense in Whitmores minutes.

Thats important.

Its also important to remember that because of the other players around him, Whitmore will never be tasked with guarding the best or second-best players on the opposing team.

His ability to play a simplified role within the structure allows for more efficiency as he adds experience.

Sure, Whitmores size and physicality play a part in his contribution to team defense.

But his activity with his hands is arguably more beneficial and conducive to Houstons half-court setting.

According to Second Spectrum, the Rockets finished the 2023-24 season as a top-five unit in deflections, generating 15.4 a game.

Whitmore accounted for 1.5 of those, which puts him in line with starters like Jabari Smith Jr.

(1.7), Jalen Green (1.5) and Dillon Brooks (1.4).

Per Bball-Index, Whitmore ranks in the 83rd percentile in passing lane defense, 85th in deflections per 75 possessions and 94th percentile in defensive positional versatility.

Its important to note that advanced analytics are not a one-size-fits-all tool, various models can project differently.

Crafted NBA, for example, gives Whitmore an 81 out of 100 on a defensive versatility scale which translates to an 81st percentile.

Theres a healthy amount of eye test that comes into play, especially when evaluating young players, but theres no denying that Whitmores potential aligns with Udokas defensive philosophy.

We were so focused on being solid at the start, Udoka said.

It goes into our transition defense, for example, going from last in the league to first, that was an emphasis for us.

So it was certain things that we talked about, but as you go through the season you see guys natural tendencies and you dont want to take away from what they do.

Guys like Tari (Eason), JaeSean (Tate) and Fred, with their instincts, getting into passing lanes and making plays, you want to encourage that.

Our mantra had been See a play, make a play.

We like to unleash those guys to do their thing.

Our activity was great, our switching caused a lot of those deflections.

Whitmores name has been a consistent answer when asked about players who are performing well in camp, especially with Houstons emphasis on defense.

The Rockets second unit, boasting talents like Eason, Amen Thompson and now Steven Adams , already has the potential to be one of the NBAs most versatile defensive groups.

If Whitmores growth is sustainable, thats another physical tool Udoka can add.

Playing a lot of defense, Brooks said Thursday about Whitmores training camp so far.

Hes been focusing on that all summer.

One of the benefits of training camp access is the potential to pick up on activities that will be a recurring theme during the regular season.

Through the first three days of practice, the operative phrase has been inch outs.

In simplified terms, an inch out refers to the activity of a weakside defender when theres a strong-side action.

There are different instances where it can be applied, but specifically for the Rockets, they are focusing on actions where an opponent is forced to drive baseline from one corner and naturally looks to make a pass to the opposite corner.

Houstons goal is to leverage their penchant for deflections and their propensity to shrink the floor reducing the available area for an opponent to use by forcing turnovers or stoppages of play.

Below is an example of a successful inch out, by Whitmore.

His primary assignment is Matisse Thybulle (24), but watch as Whitmore moves his feet toward the path of the ball.

Its a calculated gamble, but thats what Udokas defense is about.

Udoka said last week one of their primary goals is to clean up their 3-point shot defense.

At a glance, you might be confused as to why the Rockets would be improving their league-best opponent 3-point percentage (33.6 percent per NBA.com).

But digging deeper, clearly, there was some luck tied into this low number.

Advertisement Last season, Houston gave up a decent number of corner and above-the-break 3s (middle of the pack on both) but teams converted 37 and 34 percent of such shots, respectively.

Taking it a step further, the Rockets gave up the eighth-most open 3s per game, but opponents shot just 33 percent on those opportunities, good for 28th in the NBA.

Assuming Houston would be fortunate again this season would be unwise.

This is why Udoka is adamant about reducing the amount of opponent outside shots.

In this footage from training camp, you will see lead assistant Ben Sullivan in charge of this inch-out drill.

Turn the volume up to hear what Sullivan says as it pertains to personnel recognition and the ripple effect it should have on the weakside defender.

Its a process that works in tandem and when done successfully, puts out fires before theyre started.

Shift and inch out on to guys, Udoka said.

I think an area where we overcommitted at times is on penetration last year.

Gave up some 3s that we didnt need to when we looked at the overall numbers.

We want to rely on our individual one-on-one defense and help when need be.

But its also personnel-based and who youre guarding, who the offensive player is handling.

That drill is simply to recognize when to get back out to the shooters, when guys are under control to read your defensive teammate and communication.

Those split-second decisions you have to make, how fast you can see and read them.

We can stay out of trouble on a lot of those instances if we have better recognition.

Another area that Udoka hopes to improve on is defending without fouling on 3s.

Last season, Brooks, Smith, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun all finished in the top 50 in personal fouls, with Brooks notorious for fouling perimeter shooters.

Again, the emphasis is solving problems before they exist in this instance preventing the shot from even being launched without fouling.

When it was Tates turn to participate in the drill, he accidentally deflected the pass before it could get to the shooters hands.

He apologized, saying I cant help it! going back to Tates ability to generate deflections.

Go figure.

(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images).

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