The Houston Rockets landed a top-five pick for the third consecutive year on Thursday night with the selection of Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson, but much of the celebration in Houston surrounded the franchise's selection at No. 20.
Houston added Villanova wing Cam Whitmore with the No. 20 pick in Thursday's 2023 NBA Draft, a selection that was quickly tabbed as a major steal for general manager Rafael Stone and Co. Whitmore was reported as a player in consideration for the pick at No. 4 as recently as last week, and he was considered to be an consensus top-10 pick entering draft night, per evaluators across the sport.