NBA Draft 2012: 7 2nd-Rounders Who Could Break out in the NBA

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Every year there are players who fall to the second round of the NBA draft that end up having impactful careers in the NBA. This season will be no different.

Sometimes players slide because they've had injury problems. Other times, a player might fall to the second round because he's a bit undersized for his position. Or, it might be a situation where a player has the athleticism but lacks the polish desired of a first-round pick.

Regardless of the reason, there are sure to be diamonds in the rough from this year's second round. Here are seven second-rounders who fit the mold.

For full results from the 2012 NBA draft, click here.

Quincy Miller, Denver Nuggets

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On talent alone, Miller should have gone in the first round, so the Denver Nuggets were lucky to nab him at No. 38.

Miller fell in the draft for a couple different reasons. First, he wasn't incredibly effective at Baylor, averaging 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his lone season with the Bears. But secondly, Miller fell in the draft because he's still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last spring.

With more time to fully recover from the injury, Miller should prove to be an excellent NBA player. The talent's obviously there. Miller just needs to get healthy enough to utilize it.

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

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Green fell to the second round because he lacks the athleticism of most top prospects. He's not an incredible leaper, and he lacks the quickness you would find in most top picks.

But what Green lacks in athleticism, he makes up for in skill and experience. Green played four years at Michigan State, so you know he's more seasoned than most players drafted ahead of him. But he was also an incredibly effective player in college, averaging 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his senior season.

Green's got a consistent jump shot, which he should be able to extend out to three-point range. Despite his 6'8" frame, he's also an incredible rebounder. As we've seen, rebounding is a skill that almost always translates to the next level.

He should be able to contribute immediately with the Warriors. He may not have the ceiling of the players drafted ahead of him, but due to his skills, he's got a much higher floor.

Tyshawn Taylor, New Jersey Nets

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Taylor is the exact opposite of Green. He's an extremely athletic player, but he lacks the polish and skills of players in front of him.

Had Taylor been a freshman falling into some of the same pitfalls, it might be something that teams could overlook because of his explosiveness. But since Taylor was a senior making those same mistakes, it's difficult for teams to ignore. Taylor also lacks the consistency from his jump shot that is desired from most point guards.

The good thing for New Jersey is that Taylor's incredible athleticism and quickness are still intact. And the areas where he needs to improve—decision-making and shooting—are things that can be improved upon with hard work and good coaching.

If Taylor improves in those areas, he'll be a very good NBA player. If he can't, the Nets drafted him in the second round, so there's not much risk there for New Jersey.

Doron Lamb, Milwaukee Bucks

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Lamb does one thing incredibly well: shoot the basketball. In fact, ESPN's Chad Ford has Lamb pegged as the second-best shooter in the draft, behind John Jenkins.

Lamb's ability to spread the floor and knock down shots means he'll be able to contribute immediately for the Bucks. He also has the ball-handling skills and quickness to create his own shot in the NBA.

Jeff Taylor, Charlotte Bobcats

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Taylor has elite athleticism. Between his leaping ability and incredible quickness, Taylor's got all of the God-given ability you like to see from a prospect. He's also a very skilled defender, which should make him serviceable in the NBA as a rookie.

The two areas where Taylor needs to improve are his shooting ability and his ball-handling skills. But those are areas that are more nurture than nature, so he can improve those facets of his game with hard work.

At 6'7", he's a bit undersized for small forward in the NBA, but his 6'11" wingspan should help make up for his lack of height.

Tomas Satoransky, Washington Wizards

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Because Satoransky's been playing in Europe, we haven't really had a chance to watch him play. For that reason, we'll have to go off of what those in the know have to say.

Here's what Fran Fraschilla had to say about Satoransky.

Satoransky has been intriguing since coming onto the scene three years ago as a 17-year-old at the Reebok EuroCamp. At the time, he showed unusual poise and court awareness, along with excellent ball skills for his age. In fact, many NBA scouts saw him as an excellent point guard prospect at the time.

In the last three years, the now-6-7 Satoransky has had middling success as a young player for Sevilla in the Spanish ACB. While he attacks the basket well, he has not yet found a reliable jump shot that would increase his minutes on the court, nor has he he made the transition to being a full-time playmaker.

Satoransky played in one game in Treviso and did nothing spectacular to wow NBA decision-makers at the camp, like Nicolas Batum, Serge Ibaka and Goran Dragic did at past camps. Satoransky is headed for the second round at this point and likely to be a "draft-and-stash" for the next year or two.

It's expected that Satoransky will stay in Europe for another year or two to develop. But as you can see from reading the report, he's definitely got the skills to shine in the NBA.

He needs more polish to his game, but hopefully that's something that will come with time.

Khris Middleton, Detroit Pistons

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Middleton has a history of injury. In fact, he only played in 20 games for the Aggies last season. If he can get healthy, he's got the skills to play at a high level in the NBA.

He's got an excellent midrange game, which is a skill that's lost on a lot of today's players. At 6'8", and with a 6'11" wingspan, he's got the necessary size to play small forward in the NBA.

Despite his midrange game, Middleton lacks three-point range to his shot, indicated by his .260 three-point percentage at Texas A&M last season. But since he's got such a good feel for the midrange shot, he might be able to develop consistent three-point range.