2012 NBA Mock Draft: Projecting Lottery Picks Post-March Madness

Now that March Madness is over, college players will begin to declare for the draft, and teams will take a closer look at the talents available.

The order of the draft selections is based on teams standings before games on Tuesday, April 3.

Notes:

1. Portland gets New Jersey's first-round pick (top-3 protected) from the Gerald Wallace trade

2. New Orleans gets Minnesota's first-round pick (unprotected) from the Chris Paul trade (through the Los Angeles Clippers)

3. Utah gets Golden State's first-round pick (top-7 protected) from the Marcus Williams trade

No. 1: Anthony Davis, Kentucky (Bobcats)

Davis is the consensus No. 1 pick of the draft, and what he did yesterday in the championship game only solidified his position.

He has drawn comparisons to Patrick Ewing and even Bill Russell, and as he showed yesterday, he can be dominant and greatly affect the game without scoring.

Davis is a terrific talent that the Bobcats just can't pass up.

Pairing him with a developing Bismack Biyombo would scare anybody thinking of driving into the lane.

No. 2: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky (New Orleans)

Davis' teammate will go second in the draft to the Hornets.

The Hornets need to return to their winning ways, and Kidd-Gilchrist is a player who's all about winning. He will put up a tremendous stat line, but the final score is what's most important to him.

He's a great wing defender, and with Eric Gordon coming back from his knee injury, the team will be feared on the perimeter. Plus, he's shown that he likes to defend opposing point guards, relieving some pressure from Jarrett Jack.

No. 3: Thomas Robinson, Kansas (Washington)

Robinson is an absolute beast and was unarguably the best player on a squad that came nine points shy of bringing home the trophy.

Robinson loves to go grab the rebounds, and pairing him with Nene in the post will make Washington a formidable team. John Wall will have plenty of options to pass to now in the post after his buddy JaVale McGee was traded to Denver.

No. 4: Andre Drummond, UConn (Sacramento)

Drummond still hasn't shown that he deserves to be a top-five pick, but his potential is similar to that of Derrick Favors a couple years ago, who was taken third.

Sacramento already has a great young center in DeMarcus Cousins, and with Drummond, the team will be very athletic.

No. 5: Bradley Beal, Florida (Toronto)

Beal is similar to Eric Gordon, yet he is a terrific rebounder.

Although Andrea Bargnani is improving on the boards, he is still a horrendous rebounder for a seven-footer, and Beal could help.

Toronto could make a formidable three-guard rotation with Jose Calderon, Jerryd Bayless, and Beal. Having both Beal and DeMar DeRozan would make the Raptors scary on the wing.

No. 6: Cody Zeller, Indiana (Golden State)

Golden State lacks frontcourt depth after trading Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown in the Monta Ellis deal. Behind Andrew Bogut and David Lee, Andris Biedrins and Jeremy Tyler are the backup bigs for the Warriors.

Management needs to change that, and getting a young hustle player like the younger Zeller would be great.

No. 7: Harrison Barnes, UNC (Cleveland)

A year ago, Barnes would have challenged Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams to be in the mix for first-overall pick, but now, he's slipped all the way down to seven.

After Kendall Marshall went down, Barnes' inability to create his own shot was exposed, and he seems like a one-dimensional player at this point.

Irving will still be the go-to guy for the Cavs, but Barnes could prove to be a solid second option.

No. 8: James Michael McAdoo, UNC (New Orleans)

Barnes' UNC teammate has been climbing up the boards as of late, and he could really help out a young Hornets team.

He may not start immediately for the team, but he could tear up second units all season long.

No. 9: Perry Jones III, Baylor (Portland)

Early in the season, if you said Perry Jones III would go number one in the draft, you wouldn't be too crazy, but his tournament performance makes you shake your head.

PJ3 could back up LaMarcus Aldridge and provide quality minutes when the All-Star is off the court. With athletic players like Jamal Crawford (though he may not stay in Portland) and Aldridge, Jones could make the Blazers even more fun to watch.

No. 10: Tyler Zeller, UNC (Portland)

With Greg Oden looking like he may never be good and Marcus Camby traded, Joel Pryzbilla starts for the Blazers.

The older Zeller would be quite an improvement over Pryzbilla, and would help solidify the post just how Portland management envisioned Oden would five years ago.

Portland would be wise to draft the UNC standout with its second of back-to-back picks.

No. 11: Terrence Jones, Kentucky (Detroit)

North Carolina had three players drafted first, but Kentucky's Terrence Jones would even the Wildcats with the Tar Heels.

Jones made the right decision to stay in school last year, but after getting a national championship, he should declare for the draft while his stock is high. 

Six teams passed on Greg Monroe in 2010, and he certainly showed them why this season. Having Jones and Monroe would make a formidable frontcourt and give former Wildcat Brandon Knight more guys to pass to.

No. 12: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State (Phoenix)

Jared Sullinger played very well in the Final Four game but came up just short.

Before Steve Nash's career is over, having Sullinger play a couple seasons with the two-time MVP would give him a confidence boost, as Nash makes everybody around him better (see Dirk Nowitzki, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Marcin Gortat).

Sullinger's athletic body would be well-suited in a Nash-dictated offense, and with both Sullinger and Gortat in the post, running pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops would be even easier for Nash.

No. 13: John Henson, UNC (Milwaukee)

Henson was terrific on the boards for North Carolina all season long.

The Bucks are set at the guard position with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis (though word is that Jennings wants out after his rookie contract is over).

Henson would help shore up a post rotation that's already pretty good with Ersan Ilyasova, Drew Gooden, and Ekpe Udoh. Milwaukee's post players are all good role players, and that's exactly what Henson can be.

I don't expect Henson to ever be an All-Star, but he will spend a solid 10 to 12 years in the league.

No. 14: Damian Lilliard, Weber State (Utah)

Damian Lilliard recently declared for the draft, and he's arguably the best point guard in the draft.

After that horrible 12-win season in New Jersey a couple years back, Devin Harris was never the same. He once seemed like a rising stud, nearly taking home the 2009 Most Improved Player Award, but losing really seems to take it out of you.

Utah really needs a new point guard, and this spot was a tossup between Kendall Marshall and Lilliard, but Lilliard's scoring prowess wins out. Utah has good rising big men in Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, and a young scorer like Lilliard will make the team much better.

Next Five

Next Five Prospects:

Jeremy Lamb, UConn

Kendall Marshall, UNC

Austin Rivers, Duke

Quincy Miller, Baylor

Tony Wroten, Jr., Washington