NBA Rising Stars: Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore’s Snub in All-Star Weekend Angers 22YO Rockets Teammate

The Houston Rockets signed off yesterday with soaring confidence. The team pulled off a blow-out win against the Los Angeles Lakers with an all-round performance. Cam Whitmore, the 19-year-old rookie, came off the bench and impressed everyone with 20 points. While it was expected of him to get a spot in the 2024 Rising Stars tournament, he failed to make it. And his teammate didn’t hold back from taking a stand for him.

The league released the list of players selected for the tournament, including 21 rookies and sophomores along with 7 G League players. While the already established rookies like Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. made it to the roster, none of the Rockets players did. In response to that, Tari Eason, the Rockets sophomore, took to his X handle and expressed his disappointment.

Eason wrote, “No Amen No Cam yeah yall blew it.” Along with Cam Whitmore, he also mentioned Amen Thompson, who has also shown promising signs in his last few outings. He has an average of 6.2 points in his 27 games this season.

On the other hand, Eason himself hasn’t seen much of the hardwood this season, owing to a leg injury. The rising star forward played only 22 games this season, averaging 9.8 points with 7 rebounds. Ideally, Eason should have been on the list of sophomores playing in the tournament.

Some of the stars who made their debut in the last season continued to keep themselves relevant and made it to the All-Star weekend.

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Let’s take a closer look at the roster and exciting match-ups coming our way.

NBA Rising Stars: Roster and match-ups

The front runners of the 2024 Rookie of the Year Award, Wemby and Holmgren, have taken up their spots. The No.2 draft pick Brandin Miller, who didn’t make much of an impact, and the No.3 Scoot Henderson found their way.

On the other hand, the Sophomore roster was spearheaded by Paolo Banchero and was followed by Keegan Murray, Jabari Smith Jr., and Jalen Williams. While Eason was disappointed that none of the Rockets rookies made it to the list, Jabari Smith Jr. cleared it for the sophomore column.

Looking at the match-ups, any rising star playing against towering Wemby and Holmgren would be a treat. Apart from that, Banchero-Wemby would be the best match-up in the lot. Moreover, here are some of the exciting match-ups, Henderson-Shaedon Sharpe, Henderson-Miller, and many more.

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What do you make of the list of rookies selected for the tournament? Is the list fair? Let us know in the comments below.