NBA Draft 2012: Austin Rivers and Prospects with Greatest Warning Signs

We can pretty much close the book on the college basketball season, and that means it's time to ramp up coverage of the NBA Draft, including those players that really should come with a caution sign. 

Of course, every last prospect going pro comes with some question marks on their game. Even the pristine talent of Anthony Davis is nothing more than a promising young phenom. 

We all know that some of those have flamed out in brilliant fashion. However, some stars of tomorrow come with a great deal more baggage than others, and we present them to you know. 

Here are some likely first-round picks that will need work in the next couple of years and a great deal of luck to really make good on their talent. 

1. Austin Rivers: 

The Duke one-and-done player is entering the NBA draft, causing quite the hype to follow with him.

From whether he will play under his father Doc Rivers in Boston, to how his game will translate at the next level, there is a ton to be intrigued by. 

Rivers can drive as well as any guard in the nation and has that clutch gene he showed off in his buzzer beater against North Carolina. 

However, he comes in with a far too inconsistent jump shot and an overall game that need a year or two to mature. 

The hope is that he gets drafted by a team that will bring him along slowly because he certainly has the makings of a star at the next level. 

2. Perry Jones III

Baylor again had a wonderful run in the NCAA Tournament. A good amount of the credit for how they did this season rests with the young PJ3. 

In short, Jones is a fine talent that will go in the first round for the combination of talent and size that scouts go gaga over. 

Now for the bad news. Jones can get lost in the shuffle on both ends of the court and can be rather sloppy on defense. 

He went 4-for-14 with nine points in the first two games of the tourney combined. A lottery pick has to demand a bigger chunk of the action. I worry. 

3. Draymond Green: 

I know. I know. The guy is a solid leader that makes his teammates better, blah, blah. 

We aren't drafting a young Derek Fisher here. We want a young player that can come in and dominate. I am all in favor of Green being a back-of-the-pack first round pick. 

He doesn't do one thing great, and that spells doom for cracking an NBA lineup regularly. 

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