2012 NBA Mock Draft: Which Players Will Be First Round Steals

The 2012 NBA Draft is going to be one of the deepest in history.

Bill Simmons claimed that the No. 20 pick in this draft is as good as the No. 10 pick in many previous classes.

This means a number of teams are going to get a lot better and franchise players should start emerging for some basement dwellers, hopefully turning them around in a few years.

Let’s take a look at who has a chance to go in the top thirty and which players have a chance be an absolute steal in the first round.

No. 1: Charlotte Bobcats—Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky

The consensus No. 1 pick is a bulky dude who has a great sense for the game. He’s raw now, but will be a franchise player to build around.

No. 2: Detroit Pistons—Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina

Barnes hasn’t made quite the impact people expected he would when he joined UNC, but he’s still a legitimate prospect and has the ability to be a future All-Star in the pros.

No. 3: Washington Wizards—Andre Drummond, C, UConn

Drummond is one of the best young big men in the game and has an NBA-ready body. Washington cannot pass him up.

No. 4: New Orleans Hornets—Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky

The Hornets need a young player to build around if Eric Gordon is leaving, so look for them to take an NBA-ready defender and scorer in with their first pick.

No. 5: Sacramento Kings—Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

This guy has made a leap up the draft boards during his solid junior season and could help solidify an emerging frontcourt in Sacramento.

No. 6: Toronto Raptors—Perry Jones, PF, Baylor

Jones was a potential top pick coming out of high school, but did not blow anyone away during his freshman season. He’s got to show more promise or he’s a huge gamble at No. 6 for Toronto.

No. 7: New Jersey Nets—Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State

The Nets are moving to Brooklyn next season and need a player who can contribute right away, especially if they let Kris Humphries go.

No. 8: Utah Jazz—Brad Beal, SG, Florida

The Jazz took Alec Burks last year, but he plays a slashing game while Beal is more of a shooter that can spot up and knock down shots anywhere on the court.

No. 9: Phoenix Suns—Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

This is a bit of a reach, but Steve Nash’s contract is up after the season and he is more than likely going to join a contender to finish his career. The Suns need a promising, young PG and Teague has the most potential.

No. 10: Houston Rockets—Jeremy Lamb, SG, UConn

This is a surprise fall for Lamb, who could certainly go higher. Houston loves to take talent over need, so he will not go past No. 10 as the best player available.

No. 11: Cleveland Cavaliers—Terrence Ross, SG, Washington

Cleveland needs a scorer to pair with Kyrie Irving and this solid 2 out of Washington is perfect to fill that hole.

No. 12: New Orleans Hornets—Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois

Leonard has size at 7’1”, 245 pounds. He needs to bulk up a bit, but this guy has a lot of potential upsides.

No. 13: Memphis Grizzlies—Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

Lamb is an incredible athlete who can get to the rack. Memphis is potentially looking to get rid of O.J. Mayo, and Lamb would be a perfect replacement.

No. 14: Houston Rockets—Terrence Jones, SF, Kentucky

Back-to-back Kentucky selections here. Houston needs a franchise scorer and they will probably find one by adding both Jeremy Lamb and Jones.

No. 15: Milwaukee Bucks—Dion Waiters, G, Syracuse

Milwaukee is a decent team but still has plenty of needs, especially off the bench. Waiters bolsters the 1 and 2 spots and could make a big impact in the NBA.

No. 16: Boston Celtics—Austin Rivers, G, Duke

It would be awesome if the Celtics selected the son of their current coach, Doc Rivers.

Austin has a ton of potential and was initially thought to be a Top-5 talent.

He’s fallen down a bit, but playing in Duke's system has that effect on some players.

Rivers also has the potential to be a superstar in the league and could be a great replacement for Ray Allen once he hangs up his boots.

No. 17: Orlando Magic—Tyler Zeller, PF/C, North Carolina

If Dwight Howard leaves, and all signs point to that happening, the Magic will need to draft a big man.

No. 18: Portland Trail Blazers—Quincy Miller, SF, Baylor

This guy has drawn some comparisons to Kevin Durant, although he doesn’t project to be nearly as good.

He is a 6’9”, 210-pound scorer who has three-point range and a knack for rebounding.

Baylor is having a great season, and Portland could have a bright future because of Quincy Miller.

No. 19: Los Angeles Lakers—Tony Wroten, G, Washington

Derek Fisher is at the end of his career and Darius Morris has proven ineffective at PG.

Wroten is more of a scorer than distributor, but anything would help the Lakers’ guard woes.

No. 20: Minnesota Timberwolves—Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

Joseph is rising up draft boards and has the athleticism to contribute at the next level. SG/SF are the weakest positions on Minnesota’s roster right now and they could add some talent with this pick.

No. 21: San Antonio Spurs—Arnett Moultrie, PF, Mississippi St

The best rebounder in the SEC could go a lot earlier, but this mock has him falling to San Antonio as a replacement for Tim Duncan.

He’s leading the SEC in rebounding (11.3/game) and piling in the points (16.8/game),

His school doesn’t have a basketball pedigree, but his dominance on the boards and ability to bang in the paint could make him a perfect San Antonio Spur.

No. 22: Los Angeles Lakers—Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

As mentioned earlier, the Lakers direly need a point guard and Marshall is certainly worth a gamble.

No. 23: Denver Nuggets—Patric Young, PF, Florida

If Kenneth Faried turns out to be a bust, Young gives the team another young big man to develop.

No. 24: Boston Celtics—James McAdoo, PF, North Carolina

The backup UNC forward has not had the season he envisioned when he joined the Tar Heels.

He’s having trouble dominating in college, but his basketball pedigree and upside make him a worthy first-round pick.

Boston desperately needs big men with KG aging and the rest of the PFs and Cs relatively ineffective in 2011-12.

No. 25: Indiana Pacers—Mason Plumlee, PF, Duke

The Pacers are one of the deepest teams in the league and would get even deeper with this big boy.

No. 26: Atlanta Hawks—Myck Kabongo, PG, Texas

This do-it-all point guard would be a solid addition to the Hawks.

No. 27: Philadelphia 76ers—Tony Mitchell, SF, North Texas

You may not have heard of this former Mizzou commit, but he’s lighting it up at North Texas and it’s likely he will make the jump to the NBA after the season.

No. 28: Miami Heat—Damian Lillard, PG, Weber St

The Heat should continue to draft either PGs or Centers until they find an effective player late in the draft.

No. 29: Chicago Bulls—Jeffery Taylor, SF, Vanderbilt

This athlete would bolster a Chicago team that is nearly complete and already deep at every position.

No. 30: Oklahoma City Thunder—Draymond Green, F, Michigan State

MSU’s versatile forward can backup Kevin Durant or Serge Ibaka and makes a great final pick of the first round.

*Draft Order Determined by Projected Finish