Every year there is a star athlete projected to be drafted very high, who mysteriously falls on draft night. This year it was Cam Whitmore, a freshman stud from Villanova who fell to 20th overall when the Houston Rockets selected him.

Whitmore was a projected as a top-10 lottery pick by many analysts and experts, but suddenly dropped on Thursday night in a rapid descent. Teams were reportedly concerned about his previous injury history and some of his medical records, according to our Brett Siegel.

He missed his first seven games in his only season at Villanova, and took time to get going on the court. While the team struggled, Whitmore began to heat up down the stretch, showing his incredible athletic ability that has vaunted him into the lottery conversation.

On the ESPN Draft night broadcast, analyst Jay Bilas gushed over Whitmore's talent despite sliding down the board.

“Whitmore is an absolute steal at 20th overall, he's a versatile defender and excellent cutter off-ball. He also attacks the rim like it has something against him, and has a solid shooting stroke,” Bilas remarked.

“You don't find athletes like this all the time, I thought he was a top-five talent coming into the draft,” Bilas continued.

Whitmore's parents were interviewed on the broadcast as well, and they referenced how he has overcome adversity in his career. Some of that adversity was when he broke his leg four years ago, as well as the thumb injury that kept him out for the first month of the season for the Wildcats.

While scouts may be worried about some of these injury concerns, Whitmore is ready to prove them wrong and has a chip on his shoulder now. He joins earlier Rockets pick Amen Thompson who went fourth overall, as Houston works to rebuild their franchise.