Cam Whitmore's arrival in Washington gave the Wizards yet another young player with the potential to emerge into a star this coming season.
Since entering the league, it became evident early on that the Villanova product had the talent and the potential to be a difference maker in the right situation.
Being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the midst of a rebuild of their own seemed like the perfect opportunity for Whitmore to prove how impactfuil he could be.
However, the first two seasons of his career quickly made it clear that if the forward hoped to develop into the player he had the potential to become a change of scenery would be needed.
For starters, Whitmore's limited role and reduced playing time factored into his struggled in H-Town.
Beyond that, the wing's personal struggles also put him in position in which a fresh start was clearly needed.
Fortunately, as a Maryland native, a fresh start in Washington made too much sense for all parties involved.
When Whitmore arrived in the DMV, fans immediately believed he could be the next breakout star for the Wizards.
And while that still may prove to be true, early indications to start the season have suggested that Whitmore has yet to overcome the issues that hindered his success in his first stop.
The good news? The key to unlocking Whitmore's potential has become extremely obvious over the last couple games.
After inconsistent play to start the season followed by questionable decisions in transition, Whitmore found himself losing minutes in head coach Brian Keefe's rotation.
However, it seems as if the head coach has finally cracked the code and made it clear to Whitmore that for him to stay on the court, he'd have to make this one minor adjustment.
Before, Whitmore's biggest flaw seemed to be his tunnel vision to the basket and lack of desire to swing the ball on offense.
As a result, often times the wing would stall the team's offense trying to make the most of his minutes and seemingly caring more about his personal success rather than the team's.
These issues often persist for players with inconsistent minutes who feel as if they have to turn heads everytime they touch the ball.
Nonetheless, over the last couple of games, things have turned around for the better and it seems Keefe may have finally gotten through to Whitmore that if he just plays the right way not only will he receive more minutes, but the success will come to him.
In each of the last two games, Whitmore has played 29 minutes and posted his best two games in a Wizards jersey.
With a 19 point performance against the Dallas Mavericks, Whitmore followed his best game of the year with a 20 point performance against the Detroit Pistons.
The wing has found himself playing the most minutes of any bench player and is even recording more time on the court than multiple starters.
Not only is Keefe riding the hot hand, but he's making it a point of emphasis to build Whitmore's confidence and prove that if he plays the right way, he won't have to worry about his minutes any longer.