NBA Draft 2012: Which UNC Prospect Will Be the Best Pro?

On Thursday, according to the Washington Post, North Carolina announced that three players, Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall, would be joining the NBA draft for 2012. They will be joining Tyler Zeller. Each of them could be a lottery pick this year. 

Which one though will be the best pro long-term?

Marshall is a great passer, but a limited shooter. He might be the best point guard in this year's draft, but this is a result largely of the limited selection of NBA-caliber point guards than it is a testament to the abilities of the other point guards than anything else.

He is a great passer with court vision to spare, but he's not a very good shooter. While there's always a possibility that he could be the next Rajon Rondo or Ricky Rubio (even though his initials aren't R.R.). 

Harrison Barnes is the player with the most potential. He is a terrific shooter, and has a respectable ability to drive to the basket. At 6'10" he has great length for an NBA wing. The problem he has is that he lacks NBA handles. That was evident during the tournament when he was unable to create his own shot off the dribble, absent Marshall. 

That's something that, provided he shows the work ethic, could be improved on in the long run, but his immediate impact could be less. 

Henson has terrific athleticism, an excellent rebounder at 9.9 boards per game. He averaged 13.7 points on 29.1 minutes per game. He's another project that could turn into a solid player long-term, as he has terrific defensive abilities. He's an outstanding shot blocker and affects possessions defensively. 

That leaves us with Zeller who has a complete and polished game for a seven-footer. He can shoot, he can finish and he plays defense well. He needs to add strength to his game though, particularly upper body strength. 

In the long-term, Barnes probably projects to be the best player, but if you're looking for who will have the best rookie season, my money is on Zeller to have the best year next year as right now he's got the most complete game.