2012 NBA Mock Draft: Perry Jones III and the Top Underclassmen Available

The NBA trade deadline has passed and now interest turns to the draft as teams and fans that haven't found their needs through trades will be looking towards the upcoming NBA draft to fulfill their needs.

In the NBA draft, the general rule is "the younger, the better." The trend is to leave when you're good enough to.

With that being the case, here are the top seven underclassmen coming out. 

7. Cody Zeller

Zeller has averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with Indiana. He's a 6'11" center who handles the ball well and scores. NBAdraft.net compares him to Chris Kaman.

His biggest weakness is a lack of strength. He's going to need to put on muscle to play int he NBA, but that's fairly common for underclassmen entering the draft. 

6. Perry Jones III  

Jones has averaged 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds for Baylor this year. He is a player that I think could end up being the best player out of this draft, with the exception of Anthony Davis.

He's a 6'11" power forward who has the skills of a small forward. He can score in multiple ways—posting you up, handling the ball or moving without the ball.

The problem is that is game lacks consistency and polish. Given the right coach who can motivate and mold him, Jones has the raw potential to be an MVP-caliber player four or five years down the line. 

5. James Michael McAdoo

McAdoo has averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds this year for the North Carolina Tar Heels, but that's more about playing time than ability.

He came into his freshman year as the No. 5 high school player in the country. He's a player with a well-rounded skill set, especially when you consider his age and limited experience. He'll get a chance to prove himself during the tournament with John Henson's injury woes.

If he does that, and carries the Tar Heels, look for him to come out early and to go high in this year's draft. 

4. Andre Drummond

Drummond averaged 10 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.4 minutes in college. He's 6'11", 275 pounds and has a 7'5" wingspan.

There are two things that are consistent when it comes to Drummond's projections. First, he has a huge, NBA-ready body that is absolutely ready to play center.

The other is that he lacks motivation. He's a gamble that could end up having you thinking of Darko Milicic or he could be a long-term starting NBA center. It's all up to him and whether or not he can land on a team that is properly motivated. 

3. Harrison Barnes

Barnes averaged 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this year. He may be the second-best player in the draft behind Anthony Davis, depending on which board you're looking at.

He's a sophomore, so he does have the extra year of grooming, which he needed because he's been converted to a wing from a power forward.

He's got deep range, tremendous athleticism, NBA strength and improving handles. 

2. Bradley Beal

Beal averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds—the latter is pretty impressive for a shooting guard.

He is a pure shooting guard who both "shoots" and "guards." For whatever reason, that particular combination of attributes seems to be increasingly hard to find in the NBA. There are those who can shoot, those who can drive and those who can defend, but few who can do all three anymore, particularly among the younger players.

Someone will have some zeal for Beal. Depending on the draft order, Barnes and Beal should go second and third. 

1. Anthony Davis 

Davis averaged 14.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and FOUR-POINT-SIX BLOCKS (sorry for the shouting but if I just wrote "4.6," it hardly does justice) per game. Davis is a player that can have Dwight Howard-like impact on the game, where his very presence changes the way defenses approach. 

Davis' player efficiency rating is 35.71, which even makes LeBron James look diminutive. This is one of those drafts that comes along once every six or seven years where the winner of the lottery feels like they won...well, the lottery.

This year it falls in line with the Shaq lottery, the Duncan lottery and the LeBron lottery. He's that good.