Big East Basketball: How each 2023 NBA draftee will fit with their new teams
By John Makuch
2. Rockets, No. 20, Cam Whitmore, Villanova
Projections had Cam Whitmore from Villanova as high as the top five, but he has now become that player that slides down the draft board and with each passing team, you wonder if those teams made a mistake by letting him fall that low.
Injury concerns appear to be the biggest reason for his drop here, and there was a bit of an expectation he may fall, but not this low outside of the lottery. Whitmore is athletic, and physical, and can play some great defense right out of the gate, and for a Rockets team that needs all the help it can get, he will provide an immediate boost to their defensive unit.
For Houston, their timeline when it comes to winning is probably not any time soon, so if Whitmore’s injury issues are something that will need time to heal and work through, the Rockets have the time to wait with him on this situation. He can be a star-level player if developed properly as the Houston Rockets look to make their return to the postseason within the next few years with Whitmore as a key contributor.
We will have to wait and see if Whitmore is the player that he was thought out to be, and if the scouts were wrong when it comes to letting him slide, or if they were right all along. However, if injuries are not an issue, the scouts may regret letting him slide all the way to 20.