Cam Whitmore arrival in Washington could be arguably the most overlooked acquisition of the offseason.
The former first-round pick landed with the Washington Wizards after two seasons with the Houston Rockets ultimately came to a conclusion from both Whitmore's camp and Houston general manager Rafael Stone that a fresh start was needed for both sides.
Houston's sudden surge to the top of the Western Conference led to the Rockets making a push for win-now talent and with a surplus in the frontcourt, not only did the team have minimal minutes to spare, but they also made it clear that allowing Whitmore to play through the common mistakes and growing pain of a young player simply wasn't in the cards.
Not to mention. the Villanova product grew a bit of a reputation for being a bit immature after seemingly making it felt that his lack of playing time wasn't ideal for him.
However, when the offseason arrived it was clear that a fresh start was on the horizon, but the opprtunity for the Maryland native to suit up for his hometown team seemed a bit too good to be true.
Fortunately, Washington's general manager Will Dawkins managed to play his cards right and land Whitmore for a ridiciously discounted price of two second-round picks.
The Wizards landed a high-upside prospect with the potental to develop into a star for the price of two future players who likely never would have suited up for them.
It's clear the forward's talent level is one reason that a change of scenery could be the reason for a breakout, but the pairing of a head coach who believes in him could be the key to unlock it all.
In fact, Whitmore made it clear that his new head coach Brian Keefe is the exact type of head coach he wants to play for.
"I like B.K," Whitmore said. "B.K. is my type of coach. Tough love, he's very straight to the point and he's very smart. His IQ is up there."
Whitmore's evaluation of Keefe is spot on compared to what other reviews have suggested about the head coach.
Keefe is an X's and O's guru, but his ability to connect with his young players is the exact reason Washington's front office elected for him to lead the rebuilding movement after his run as interim head coach.
There's several reasons Keefe is the man for the job and it may be extremely obvious if/when Whitmore breaks out in Washington.