Houston Rockets Ended 2023 NBA Draft’s Biggest Slide

Houston took a gamble on the top slider in Thursday’s draft, and it could pay dividends.

Thursday’s NBA Draft came and went, and with it players saw their stock rise and fall in real-time as teams selected.

Cam Whitmore, who had been projected to go as high as fourth overall before the draft, saw one of the largest slides of the night, falling all the way to Houston at No. 20.

Whitmore, a hyper-athletic wing prospect who made his mark at Villanova last season, was in contention for Houston with their fourth pick, but ended up sliding to their second. Other teams has reportedly looked at him within the lottery too, including Detroit at No. 5, Indiana at No. 7 and Utah at No. 9.

The reason for his slide is still unclear, and will likely remain that way. But various reports hinted at the fact his medicals may not have been in a great place prior to the draft.

Regardless, Houston very well could be getting a steal on one of the premier talents in the draft, especially after getting another hyper-athlete in Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson fourth overall.

With the Wildcats, Whitmore averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and XX steals per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, 34 percent from three and 70 percent from the line.

While he does need to improve in a few areas, namely shooting, facilitation and defensive consistency, he offers the Rockets a strong infusion of athleticism and potential creation ability.

The 2023 NBA Summer League runs from July 7 through July 17. Each team will play at least five games in Las Vegas.

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