2012 NBA Mock Draft: Underrated Prospects Worth Drafting in First Round

With the 2012 NBA draft fast approaching, most teams who do not win a top-three pick will have to decide if they want to take time to develop a player with tremendous upside or go a safer route and take a less promising prospect that who be able to contribute in some aspect right away.

There are only a few sure things in this class, but there are a ton of players with a lot of potential.

Let’s take a look at the latest first-round mock with an eye towards that latter group.

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

The crown jewel of the draft is NBA-ready and is going to be a defensive force from day one. Once his offensive game catches up, he’ll be unstoppable.

2. Washington Wizards: Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Robinson is a winner, a presence in the post and works his butt off every play. He’s a surefire pick for a team that can’t afford a gamble in the lottery.

3. New Orleans Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky 

MKG makes sense for a team that needs a defensive-minded SF to compliment their star, Eric Gordon. He’s going to have a long and fruitful career in the NBA.

4. Sacramento Kings: Andre Drummond, Connecticut

This is a risky pick, and it’s possibly too early for someone who wasn’t able to put it all together at UConn—despite Drummond’s height and weight suggesting he would crush the competition.

5. Toronto Raptors: Bradley Beal, Florida

While the Raptors have a decent 2-guard in DeMar DeRozan, they need to get someone who can shoot from deep and also create his own shot.

That is exactly what Beal brings to the table.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

The Cavs need an athletic wing player who can simply put the basketball in the hoop. They have their point guard of the future and decent role players, now they need to add a No. 1 scorer

7. Portland Trail Blazers (via New Jersey): Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut

Lamb has some questions to answer about his mental focus on the court, but there is no denying his athletic ability and talent with the basketball in his hand.

Portland is going to likely need a new shooting guard when Jamal Crawford tears up his contract this summer, making Lamb a nice, young replacement.

8. Detroit Pistons: John Henson, North Carolina

Detroit isn’t going to get a player who will wow anyone here, but Henson is a nice addition to the emerging frontcourt. Once this team gets Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon off the books in two years, Henson should be well-adjusted to the NBA game.

9. Utah Jazz (via Golden State): Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 

The Ohio State star has spent the past two seasons working on his game and might be the most NBA-ready player out of the gate in this draft. He’s going to make an instant impact in Utah’s system.

10. New Orleans Hornets (via Minnesota): Damian Lillard, Weber State

Lillard’s athleticism and ability to play both guard positions makes him an extremely attractive player to the Hornets. He’s not going to replace Chris Paul, but he has a chance to be a starting PG for a long time.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

The Blazers need size now that they shipped Marcus Camby out and cut Greg Oden. Zeller is an experienced center and a “you get what you see” type player, meaning he’s not going to be a star, but he’s going to be a serviceable big.

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Meyers Leonard, Illinois

Milwaukee also needs to address its lack of size here after trading away Andrew Bogut. Leonard is just a raw, big body right now who can clog the lane, but this team will hope to develop him into much more.

13. Utah Jazz: Tony Wroten Jr., Washington

Wroten has the most upside of any PG in this class. He’s got massive size for the position and pretty decent passing ability. If he can play more consistently and add a jumper, he’ll be a star. Utah needs a stud like this to round out their youth movement.

14. Phoenix Suns: Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

Marshall’s willingness to get his teammates involved and look for the assist rather than the bucket is reminiscent of Steve Nash. The Suns are likely going to lose Nash this summer or in a few short seasons, meaning that nabbing a replacement now is invaluable.

15. Houston Rockets (via New York): Doron Lamb 

Lamb is a great scorer with solid size and a knack for moving the ball around on offense. His stock has gone up with his solid contributions to Kentucky’s 2012 NCAA tournament run, which ended with a national championship.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Terrence Jones, Kentucky

Jones is one of the most skilled forwards in the country, but he doesn’t play with any consistency. He’s definitely worth a pick after the lottery ends, considering his upside and potential.

If an NBA coach can coax him to give 100 percent every game, the sky is the limit for this sophomore.

17. Denver Nuggets: Terrence Ross, Washington

Ross is a solid shooting guard who has good size and a knack for knocking down the three. He’s a nice option off the bench for a run-and-gun Denver team that loves shooting from deep.

18. Dallas Mavericks: Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

The 22-year-old has shown he can guard a number of different players and is one of the better athletes in the class. If he can continue hitting from range, he’ll be a steal this late for the Mavs.

19. New Jersey Nets (via Houston): Perry Jones, Baylor

PJIII is a boom-or-bust prospect that many teams are leery of. He should be vying for the No. 1 overall pick with Anthony Davis, but his inconsistency is extremely troubling.

This is his absolute floor, and the Nets will not allow the Baylor prospect to fall further.

20. Boston Celtics: Austin Rivers, Duke

Rivers has star power, something the Celtics are going to need when Ray Allen and KG likely move on next season. It’ll also be nice to see a father coach his son at the NBA level.

21. Orlando Magic: Marquis Teague, Kentucky

Jameer Nelson is a decent player but, he’s not becoming the go-to PG Orlando has been hoping to cultivate over the past few years.

Teague represents fresh blood at the position, and he’s a great defender who will be able to feed Dwight Howard.

22. Memphis Grizzlies: Royce White

White has a treatable anxiety disorder that is scaring many teams away. However, he’s a big post presence and someone who will be able to impact an NBA game right away if he’s mentally prepared.

23. Atlanta Hawks: Moe Harkless, St. Johns

Harkless is a player the Hawks need to gamble on. He’s just 18 years old, can play lockdown defense and has range out to the three-point line.

He’s certainly got a future in the league, and it’s possible, if developed correctly, he can become a superstar.

24. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers): Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

Moultrie had a fantastic season, but pessimists may be wondering what took him so long to develop and if he can continue playing with this fervor in the pros. Regardless, Boston needs size and won’t let him fall past this pick.

25. Indiana Pacers: Dion Waiters, Syracuse

Waiters knows what it takes to get to the cup. He’s a relentless driver, and that is a skill that will translate to any level of organized basketball. If he polishes the rest of his game, this is a great pick.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers): Fab Melo, Syracuse

Melo is a big body who killed his own stock by not being eligible to participate in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

No team was too high on him before the suspension, but he’s got more work to do now to get into the first round.

27. Miami Heat: Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

This kid has the experience and mid-range game to be a perfect backup to Chris Bosh on a team that will be perennial championship contenders for the forseeable future.

28. Golden State Warriors (via San Antonio): Draymond Green, Michigan State

Green gets his teammates involved and knows how to win. Golden State direly needs a player like that in their locker room.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt

Ezeli is a late bloomer who looks like he could eventually develop into a rotational center in the NBA.

30. Chicago Bulls: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt 

Jenkins is the sweet-shooting 2-guard that the Chicago Bulls direly need.