The Winners & Losers of the 2012 NBA Draft

Part 1 - The Winners

Anthony Davis

New Orleans Hornets - Anytime you have the No.’s 1 & 10 picks, you’re likely to be among the drafts winners, but for the Hornets this meant so much more than just that. After losing franchise player Chris Paul at the beginning of last season, Hornets fans surely couldn’t believe their luck at having the opportunity to draft another once in a generation talent just 7 months later. In Anthony Davis the Hornets have an ideal centrepiece around which to rebuild their franchise. Davis’ elite defensive abilities and excellent shot blocking instincts should have an immediate impact at the professional level, and while he’s not your prototypical back to the basket big man on the offensive end, he can run the floor like few players his size¹ and makes great use of his elite athleticism on the offensive boards. Once he adds more muscle to his frame and develops a consistent jumper, Davis has the potential to be a dominant big man - especially defensively - along the lines of a Patrick Ewing.

Austin Rivers

With blossoming young shooting guard Eric Gordon²coming back from a long-term injury, to add to the mix, the Hornets look like a team with a really good future. With the No. 10 pick, the Hornets took Austin Rivers from Duke, a combo guard with an excellent shooting touch and an ego to match. Rivers was a top prospect coming out of high school but, despite a pretty steller year in college, his stock dropped as questions arose about his size, and his ability to handle the ball. Most scouts project him to be a shooting guard at the NBA level, so he will be a little bit undersized, but should be able to light up the score board in patches. Look for him to develop into a rich man’s Jason Terry, a great sixth man who could be an integral role player on a very good team. Let’s just hope his alpha-dog mind-set won’t get in the way of his development as a player.

Bradley Beal

Washington Wizards - After another abysmal - albeit hilarious³ - season for the Wizards, management has done an excellent job of turning their previous cast of clowns⁴ into a semi-respectable basketball team. Shipping out JaVale McGee for Nenê at March’s trade deadline, and getting Nick Young⁵ off the books was a solid start. Turning Rashard Lewis’ ridiculous contract into two solid, if overpaid, veterans (Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza) was another sign of progress.⁶

Bradley Beal, who they took with the No. 3 pick, is a pure-shooter with unlimited range, who compares favourably with a younger Ray Allen. He should be a great fit next to John Wall in a Wizards backcourt, that should now be able to space the floor well.

Harrison Barnes

Golden State Warriors - At No. 7, Harrison Barnes is a good value pick, who should be an excellent fit with the Warriors. Barnes’s stock has dropped since his High School days,⁷ but he still projects to be a very good player - maybe even a borderline All-Star player.⁸ He fills a position of need for Golden State and is a high character, hard working guy, with an excellent range and shooting ability. The selection of Vanderbilt center, Festus Ezeli, at No. 30, is also a solid pick-up for the Warriors, as he projects to be a decent back-up big man in the league. A player like that is always a good value flyer at the end of the first round.

Andre Drummond

Detroit Pistons - Probably the riskiest pick in the entire draft, Andre Drummond, who the Pistons selected at No. 9, is an athletic freak along the lines of Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudomaire. Drummond is easily one of the most athletic big men ever seen in NBA History, but there are critical doubts about his maturity and work ethic, which caused so many GM’s to pass on him in the high lottery. He could either be a Dwight Horward or a Hasheem Thabeet,⁹ depending on how he applies himself. That said, he was worth the risk for the Pistons at this point in the mid-lottery and, if he pans out, he would be a great partner for Greg Monroe in Detroit’s front-court.

Jeremy Lamb

Houston Rockets - The Rocket's may have failed in their attempts to trade for Dwight Howard but they made some great value selections with the three picks the acquired in that process. At No. 12, they gleefully chose Jeremy Lamb, the highly touted UConn guard. Lamb was ranked by most as the second best shooting guard prospect in the draft after Bradley Beal, so it was major surprise that he was still on the board at twelve. He should be a very good player at the next level and his selection frees up the Rockets to trade veteran guard Kevin Martin, whose contract will be an expiring deal next season. 

At No. 16, they reached for Royce White from Iowa State. White has a much publicised anxiety disorder which had turned some GM's off, but the Rockets apparently weren't deterred and White could be a steal at this point in the mid-first round. 

The Rocket's third first round pick came at No. 18 and again the found great value, with Kentucky swingman Terrence Jones surprisingly still available. Jones is a left-handed player with a solid inside-outside game who should be a solid starter in the NBA.  

Perry Jones III

Oklahoma City Thunder - The Thunder undoubtedly got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft. Perry Jones III, who they selected with this pick, was projected pre-draft in the 10-15 range,¹⁰ but his stock dropped spectacularly due to a late rumour that he may need meniscus surgery on his knee. There are serious questions about his motivation and competitive drive - and now his health - but, at No. 28, this is a great, low-risk, high-reward pick for OKC. Although the Thunder’s roster is young, they came very close to winning it all this year and their young leaders (Durant and Westbrook) won’t tolerate anything but total commitment from their new rookie. This is a perfect situation for Jones to develop, and he could become the young, and inexpensive, replacement for James Harden or Serge Ibaka, should the Thunder need to trade either to avoid the luxury tax.

Marquis Teague

Chicago Bulls - The Bulls found a steal of their own at No. 29, with Kentucky point guard, Marquis Teague.¹¹ The Bulls couldn’t believe that Teague dropped to them at this pick, and hadn’t even worked him out pre-draft, believing he would no longer be available, by the time they were on the board. Teague is super-athletic and can create his own shot - something the Bulls desperately need, especially given the absence of Derrick Rose next season. Expect him to see plenty of minutes at the lead guard next season, with Rose out. However, it is likely that he won’t start, given that Coach Thibodeau tends to trust his veterans over young rookies.

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. Think of a longer, more athletic Joakim Noah.

2. Gordon is a restricted free agent, but the Hornets are expected to match any/all offers.

3. Just type the name JaVale McGee into youtube.

4.  The Wizards' roster at the beginning of last season had quite possibly the lowest basketball IQ of any professional basketball team ... ever. Seriously, watch the games.

5. http://twitter.com/NickSwagyPYoung/

6. The key to this trade is that the Wizards will now still have their amnesty provision available to use on Andray Blatche.

7. He was the No. 1 prospect in his class coming out of high school and was widely earmarked as the next Kobe Bryant.

8. Think Luol Deng but with a more consistent stroke.

9. Thabeet was selected No. 2 overall by the Grizzlies, in 2009. To date he's been traded twice, and played for three teams in as many years, while struggling to crack the rotation anywhere.

10. Pre-season, some scouts had the Baylor forward pencilled in as a top 5 pick.

11. Marquis is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks point guard, Jeff Teague.