Jalen Green and Cam Whitmore are two promising guards who the Rockets let go this offseason. Green was traded for Kevin Durant to the Suns, while Whitmore was traded for two second-round picks and cash considerations to the Wizards.
Both these players publicly plotted their revenge games in the coming season when their respective teams face the Rockets. Jeff Teague believes that Cam Whitmore is more likely to succeed in his plans of surprising the Rockets with a revenge game than Jalen Green, and he gave the perfect reasoning for it.
On the latest episode of his Club 520 podcast, Jeff Teague spoke about Jalen Green and Cam Whitmore’s comments on the Rockets when he made the bold prediction.
“But you ain’t get traded for KD though.. Cam Whitmore got traded for cash, right? Second round pick or something,” said Teague hilariously as he reminded Whitmore that he’s getting offended about something that’s not even about him.
“Nah, he’s gonna kill Houston when he plays them… I don’t know if Jalen Green is gonna kill them though. Ime [Udoka] be hype for sh** like that. Oh Ime, he competitive like he’d be hyped for sh** like that.”
“You see how he did Boston? Heard Kyrie talk about it. When he left Brooklyn and got to Boston, he had Brooklyn’s number. We got something for you, buddy.”
Ime Udoka is one of the main reasons why the Rockets are considered championship contenders in the coming season, as he transformed their culture from the very first day he joined the organization. Teague recalled Kyrie Irving’s comments about Ime Udoka and how he destroyed the Nets’ superteam in the playoffs just one season after leaving their coaching staff.
Teague believes that Jalen Green will get a taste of how competitive Ime Udoka is when the Rockets face the Suns next season. Since Green, who was considered one of the Rockets’ franchise players until last season, left a more important role in the team and failed to perform at the highest level during the Playoffs, Teague thinks Udoka will likely want to show him how the Rockets have improved since he left.
Meanwhile, the Wizards fixture will more likely not be something that the Rockets coaching staff would be worried about because Whitmore has not left an important role in the team rotation and seems to be forcing himself into the Kevin Durant trade aftermath narrative that he has no role in.
Jalen Green played all 82 games for the Rockets in 2024-25, where he averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. However, his performance severely dipped during the Playoffs, where in the first-round exit, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists despite starting all games against the Warriors.
Cam Whitmore, on the other hand, played only 51 games for the Rockets in 2024-25, where he averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while playing only 16 minutes on average per night. The Rockets never really allowed Whitmore to prove himself, and as a potential starter on the Wizards, he may have a better breakout season than Jalen Green.
Therefore, Jeff Teague believes Whitmore is more likely to surprise the Rockets with a solid 30-40 point revenge game, as Ime Udoka will have a game plan ready for each time the Rockets face the Suns.
In my opinion, Teague’s prediction seems more accurate, but we should not discount Jalen Green, since he seems to have a bigger chip on his shoulder than Whitmore. The Rockets were Jalen Green’s team certainly in the Stephen Silas era, but Udoka came in, changed the culture, and allowed him to be traded away.
Maybe Green could surprise the Rockets too this season, but yes, Udoka is likelier to be more prepared to face the Suns than the Wizards.
