NBA Draft 2012: Breaking Down How Kentucky Studs Will Fare in the NBA

What we all suspected is now official—the Kentucky Wildcats' starting five have declared for the NBA Draft. There's no question that each of the five prospects can make it on the professional level, but just how good will they be? Here's a look ahead to the NBA careers of Kentucky's championship starters.

Anthony Davis PF/C—6'10'', 220 lbs

Anthony Davis has all the athletic tools and talent a scout could ask for, and more importantly, he's a proven winner. He might not average much more than 10 points as a rookie, but there's no question he'll make an immediate and considerable impact defensively.

His offensive versatility should continue to improve down the road, and there's nothing stopping Davis from putting up numbers on par with Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum. What he currently lacks in strength he makes up for with freakish athletic ability.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SF/SG—6'7'', 210 lbs

Kidd-Gilchrist is the complete package, and he has all the intangibles a team craves at any level. You can worry about his shot and his potential as a scorer, but there's no doubting that he'll work incredibly hard to get wherever he needs to be. 

At the very worst, Kidd-Gilchrist could be a better version of Andre Iguodala—he's a versatile stopper who never quits on a play. Like Iguodala, he's not quite as tall as an NBA 3 should be, but that hasn't stopped Iggy from having an excellent career.

Odds are that this kid improves his offense, though, and turns into something pretty special.

Terrence Jones SF/PF—6'8'', 244 lbs

Jones has worlds of potential thanks to his rare combination of size, strength, quickness and agility. He has the ideal makeup of a 3 in the NBA who can score, pass, rebound and—most importantly—make a noteworthy defensive impact. It doesn't look like Jones has the elite scoring ability or court vision to assimilate those skills into a LeBron James type of package, and he certainly hasn't shown the consistency or drive to earn those kind of comparisons.

Nevertheless, there's a pool of talent and physical upside here that doesn't come along often. One could also speculate that Jones never consistently showed up for the Wildcats simply because he was on such a deep team with so many options.

While his scoring tapered off in his sophomore campaign, he shot more efficiently, rebounded well and continued to swat nearly two shots a game. As he learns to pick his spots and take control of the game when needed, he could go from a defensive specialist to a well-rounded star.  

Marquis Teague PG—6'2'', 178 lbs 

Teague may not have exceptional upside, but he could wind up every bit as good as his older brother Jeff (who's made quite a name for himself starting for the Atlanta Hawks). Like his brother, Marquis will also need to improve his perimeter game so that he can take better advantage of his speed and ability to get to the paint. Without a credible deep shot, opponents will sag off of him like they did to a young Rajon Rondo.

Teague is no Rondo, though, so he'll have to do what most point guards have to do: Learn to shoot. If and when he does so, there's nothing to stop him from becoming an above-average NBA starter. 

Doron Lamb SG—6'4'', 195 lbs

A successful NCAA tournament improved Lamb's draft stock, and a team in need of perimeter shooting will jump all over him. He's a proven scorer and will amount to a Jodie Meeks or Gary Neal type of player at the very worst. That suggests that he could probably start for a struggling team in need of a shooter or—more likely given his project draft position—become a reliable scorer off the bench for a more established club.

Of course, Lamb could add some strength, diversify his game and turn into something special, but if his upside was commensurate with his shooting ability, he'd be a lot higher on most draft boards.