Houston, TX (PSF)- Projected top 10 pick Cam Whitmore fell out of the lottery in Thursday night's draft. Whitmore is coming off a freshman year at Villanova where he averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals despite missing the first seven games of the season because of a thumb injury. He also finished the season as the Big East Freshman of the Year.  But this thumb injury is one of many factors that led to his fall in the draft.

Concerns about Whitmore during interviews and lack of effort in individual workouts with NBA teams started to become apparent as the draft approached, and teams began to lower him on their boards. There are also medical concerns regarding cartilage in Whitmore’s knee that also affected his draft stock changing.

The Rockets drafted Whitmore at pick 20, and many consider this to be the steal of the draft. 18-year-old Whitmore is joining a young and athletic Rockets roster, as well as fourth overall pick Amen Thompson from the G-League Ignite. Head coach Ime Udoka is about to begin his first season with the Rockets but he does not lack experience in establishing a winning culture or coaching in the playoffs.

In his first year as a head coach, Udoka took the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals before being let go by the team because of off-the-court issues. If Udoka is able to address the non-medical concerns regarding Whitmore, then this young Rocket’s team may be poised to make a big impact in the West.