The Houston Rockets have selected Cam Whitmore in the NBA Draft, but the Villanova talent dropped all the way to the No. 20 pick.
The Rockets selected Amen Thompson with their No. 4 pick, after being successful in the lottery. No team was as successful as the San Antonio Spurs who landed Victor Wembanyama, but the Rockets also landed a player who was predicted to be taken much higher.
Whitmore was a top ten pick in most NBA mock drafts published, with the youngster a physically imposing wing who is full of power around the rim. But reports of issues on final practices clearly put teams off, and he slipped down to 20th.
Fans are torn online as to whether the Rockets have enjoyed a successful draft, as on paper acquiring both Thompson and Whitmore seems like a solid piece of business. But with so many teams passing on Whitmore, concerns were raised.
According to ESPN, Whitmore's slide was due to poor workouts and bad interviews. An unnamed Eastern Conference executive also spoke to the Athletic, and opened up about Whitmore's punctuality. "At the Hoops Summit, Whitmore was not a practice-type player and didn’t look very good during the week," The executive said.
"But once he played, he was one of the better players in the game. That’s going to have to change at the NBA level. He’s going to have to exert some effort, some ability and skill level in practice for a head coach to put him in a game.
"He’s not going to be guaranteed minutes like he probably was at Villanova." But he will likely get minutes at the Rockets, with the team looking to rebuild and James Harden still linked with a sensational return to the franchise.
It would have been a humbling experience for Whitmore, who saw his name drop down the list after a lot of pre-draft hype. It was a similar incident for quarterback Will Levis, who was a projected top ten pick in the NFL Draft, but ended up dropping to the second-round.
Levis felt humiliated and the pain on his face was clear to see, and the quarterback didn't even show up for the second-round after being mocked online. Levis was the first pick in the second-round, as he was selected by the Tennessee Titans.
It's an eye opener for both Whitmore and Levis, who will have been given a reminder that sport is cutthroat and never guaranteed success. The Rockets will be happy with their business though, after another poor season.
