After being sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, Washington Wizards wing Cam Whitmore opens up on his recovery.
The Washington Wizards are now in the midst of a week-long break with All Star weekend officially arrived and a chance for the team to hit the reset before the final stretch of games. Of course, Washington will still have three players representing the team with Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson set to suit up in the Rising Stars game on Friday night while Alex Sarr has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
All eyes will then turn to what the makeup of the roster looks like following the break with both Trae Young and Anthony Davis set to be re-evaluated, while general manager Will Dawkins expressed confidence this week that both are "highly likely" to play this year. But one player the Wizards won't get back after the break remains Cam Whitmore after the team announced on Jan. 15 he would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season due to deep vein thrombosis.
Whitmore was already sidelined for a month prior to the announcement after last playing against the Celtics back on Dec. 4, ending a season filled with hope after averaging 9.2 points in nearly 17 minutes per game and 21 appearances in his first season with the organization.
For the former first-round pick and Archbishop Spalding product, the patience needed in the recovery process has tested Whitmore after revealing he underwent three procedures in an interview with Chris Miller of Monumental Sports.
"It was a tough time, tough month. [I] couldn't really figure out what I want to do with myself. It was just, I had to relax, keep myself level headed, keep my faith in God that he's got me no matter what," Whitmore said.
While Washington received a disabled player exception last month due to his injury, Whitmore eventually returned to the team on the sideline while the former Rocket opened up about the support his teammates showed him through the process.
His absence came after the Wizards worked through a logjam at the wing at the time, a role that has since allowed rookie Will Riley to shine over the last month with at least 13 points in four of his last six games including resetting his career-high three times along the way. But for Whitmore, closing out year three of his four-year $15.5 million contract,
Whitmore's injury also came after a report elsewhere pointed to Whitmore being unexcused from absence, which was quickly disputed by the team, before being ruled out due to injury.
“We were looking at different rotations…we hadn’t played well in a couple games before that,” head coach Brian Keefe said during an appearance on 106.7. “We wanted to try something new. Nothing he did wrong himself, but he’s learning our system and how we do stuff. We wanted to give other guys a chance. Some of the other guys were playing well.”
How Whitmore fits into the 2026-27 rotation is unclear with much left to be decided about the makeup of the new-look Wizards, but the local product will now look to prove himself as a quality piece at the wing in a contract season.