HOUSTON — The wait for Cam Whitmore during the 2023 NBA Draft took longer than expected. Whitmore was a projected top-10 pick. But Thursday night inside the Barclays Center, Whitmore was the 20th selection made by the Houston Rockets.

He was the Rockets’ second and final pick in the first round. Houston drafted Overtime Elite’s Amen Thompson at No. 4.

“Every time it kept counting down, just didn’t know where to go,” Whitmore said. “I was praying. I was really talking to God the whole entire time, for real. It is what it is. I was in Houston training. So it’s time to go back.”

Whitmore did not understand how he slipped outside the lottery. But as he sat in the Green Room pondering, Whitmore’s stock left general manager Rafael Stone in shock.

He gave an impressive pre-draft workout, and Stone said the results left the Rockets considering trading up from No. 20. The Athletic reported that Houston tried to move up as far as the 10th pick Wednesday morning, which was originally held by the Dallas Mavericks.