NBA Draft 2012: Shooting Guards Who Will Make Instant Impact

The 2012 NBA draft class is loaded with shooting guards who can light up the scoreboard.

Whether these players become the top scoring options for their teams or provide sparks off the bench, two-guards with silky smooth jumpers are always welcomed by NBA teams.

Here are five shooting guards who will make an impact right away for the team that drafts them.

Bradley Beal, Florida

Beal will be a top-five pick and is very deserving of all the recognition he has received in the pre-draft process.

He is the top shooting guard in the class due to his unlimited range and fearless drives. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during his only year with the Gators.

He is slightly undersized for the position, but he is deceptively strong and a great rebounder. He impacts the game in multiple areas and will be a big help for one of the struggling teams with an early pick. 

Dion Waiters, Syracuse

The Syracuse scorer is impossible to keep out the lane and always finishes at the rim.

He is completely unafraid of contact and this helped him score 12.6 points per game as a sophomore. However, Waiters’ weakness is his jump shot, which lacks consistency.

Still, Waiters plays with a ton of energy, and he can provide teams with a valuable spark on the offensive end. 

Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut

Lamb is an extremely lanky guard with a smooth jump shot.

At 6’5”, he has a seven-foot wingspan that makes him a dangerous defender. He averaged 1.2 steals per game for UConn in his sophomore campaign.

Lamb also shouldered the scoring load and put up 17.7 points a game, making him a complete prospect who can help a team on both ends of the floor.

Terrence Ross, Washington

The Washington scorer has great size and athleticism for a two-guard.

Ross is 6’6” and has the ability to play above the rim. He put up 16.4 points per game in his second year with the Huskies.

Ross tends to score only on drives or from behind the three-point line and needs to become a more versatile scorer. However, any team would love to add a player like him who can knock down shots and beat his man off the dribble. 

Austin Rivers, Duke 

Rivers entered his freshman year at Duke as the No. 1 recruit in the nation, according to Rivals.com.

Doc Rivers’ son had all the tools to be one of the top players in the nation, but he struggled to impress at times for the Blue Devils.

One thing he did do well was score, and Rivers put up 15.5 points per game. He has great ball-handling skills and can score from anywhere on the floor, which will help him as he tries to prove himself in the pros.