NBA Draft 2012: 10 College Studs Who Will Struggle to Make a Major Impact

Sadly, not every single college basketball player going into the NBA draft will see a career that's smooth sailing through calm seas.

Not everyone can be Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Some of these players actually have to go through the growing crowns that every normal basketball player must deal with.

Whether it's adjusting to the quickness of the game, the larger players that seem to inhibit every NBA roster or the increased distance on the NBA three-point line, most rookies will have to work their way through these problems at one time or another.

I am not declaring the 10 players you will soon see as busts. All I'm saying is that these college stars might have some of those growing pains we spoke of. Their games worked at the college level, but will run into the problems that accompany a college player when making the transition to the NBA.

We take a look at 10 college stars and how they will struggle early on in their NBA career.

Perry Jones

The talk of Perry Jones is hitting on both sides of the spectrum.

On one side, you hear of a 6'11" player with the versatility to play at numerous positions. He's got a quick first step for a player his size, can score from inside as well as from mid-range and is incredibly lengthy and athletic.

However, the other side will tell you that Jones has no set niche on the court. It's difficult to tell whether he's a true small forward, power forward or center, which could lead to matchup problems in the big leagues. Jones tends to shy away from playing aggressive and his rebounding and shot-blocking numbers don't exactly match up with his size.

Jones stands at 6'11" and weighs in at 235 pounds, yet grabbed less than eight boards and less than a block per in his two seasons at Baylor.

When a lottery team selects Jones, they're going to be expecting him to be ready to play physical basketball.

If he's going to shy away from contact and not use his athleticism on the defensive end, he's going to find himself with a seat on the bench until whichever team he's on decides that he's ready to make his impact felt on more than one end of the floor.

Austin Rivers

A phenom out of high school, Austin Rivers was met with mammoth expectations upon his introduction to playing college ball at Duke.

Rivers wasn't on highlight reels across the globe, but he made his impact felt for the time being. In the lone year he spent as a Blue Devil, Rivers averaged 16 points, three boards and two assists per game. He shot 43 percent from the field and converted two three-pointers per on 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

He's an offensive juggernaut. Not only can he shoot lights-out from three, but he can also take you off the dribble with a lightning quick first step. Once he gets by his initial defender, Rivers is one bounding leap away from dunking over multiple defenders.

However, there are a few problems with Rivers that could come back to limit him in the NBA.

For one, Rivers' takeover mode is always on. It doesn't matter if it's in the first or second half, Rivers has the tendency to attempt to take over games. What that leads to is bad shot selection, careless turnovers and not getting your teammates involved. With those three attributes, Rivers will become a Nick Young-type player before an elite guard.

He's an outstanding player, but he needs to learn how to involve his teammates as well as how to play off the ball.

Jared Sullinger

Jared Sullinger turned a lot of heads in his tenure with Ohio State and will be looking to do the same upon his move to the NBA.

Sullinger was an absolute beast in the paint. Standing at 6'9" and weighing in at 265 pounds, Sullinger used that size to his advantage in just about every instance he could. He spent two seasons at Ohio State and averaged 18 points on 52 percent shooting and nine boards per.

He will be a lottery pick and should expect to be taken early in the draft. Any team that is on the lookout for a big man who can create some havoc down low and grab some rebounds will give plenty of looks in Sullinger's direction.

Sullinger's size has also been brought into question on account of what position he can play.

Even though he dominated in college with his size, critics are questioning whether or not Sullinger will be able to transition that ability to use his size in the NBA. Let's not forget that the competition in the NBA gets a lot larger and intimidation does play a factor with a few rookies who aren't exactly ready to compete with players that are actually larger.

He's also been criticized for his lack of athleticism and the weight that he carries. The 260 pounds Sullinger possesses aren't all muscle and that can mean trouble when it comes to conditioning.

Andre Drummond

The best defensive big man in the draft not named Anthony Davis, Connecticut's Andre Drummond would form a fine anchor in any developing team's lineup.

At 6'11", 270 pounds, Drummond is the athletic equivalent to Dwight Howard. He's as wide as he is long, can block shots and throw down with the best of them and even has a great deal of quickness for a player his size.

Drummond averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per in the lone season he played with the Huskies. He ended the year with a thud when he recorded a mere two points and three rebounds in 26 minutes before fouling out in Connecticut's first-round tournament loss to Iowa State.

Drummond has plenty of potential. His defensive game will be stellar and his size will allow him to be NBA-ready. It's his offensive game, however, that's making organizations shy away from drafting him too high.

Andre still lacks solid footwork in the post and fails to utilize his size on the offensive end, where he could be prolific with proper refining.

Tyler Zeller

One of the top centers in this year's draft, Tyler Zeller is a big man who has the size to take on the giants of the NBA.

Zeller is listed at 7' and weighs in at 250 pounds. With size like that, Tyler is sure to be taken within the first half of the opening round. NBA teams are always on the lookout for college players with NBA-ready size, so that there's not as much a demand for strength and conditioning.

He knew how to use that size, too. Zeller spent four years in North Carolina and ended it with a bang by averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per in his senior season. He began to receive significant minutes in the starting lineup in his junior season after being used in limited minutes in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

His offensive game will also aid his draft stock. Any center who averages 15 points per or more in two seasons at the NCAA level will receive minutes.

Zeller may have the size, but it's his toughness that will come into question. He often allows assignments to establish themselves with ease in the post and can get pushed around if he's not exerting himself. His size will allow him to get drafted high, but reasons like those will make sure he's not a lottery pick.

Royce White

One of the most unique players you'll set your eyes on in this year's draft, Royce White of Iowa State is the nation's largest point guard.

At 6'8", 270 pounds(!), White has the ball-handling skills and court vision of your everyday point guard. In one season as a Cyclone, he averaged a stellar 13 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, one steal and one block per. Seeing was believing because it was incredible to see a player that size take the ball up on nearly every possession.

White would be a tremendous asset for any team. He's an excellent all-around player that will always make his presence felt and would give any team a matchup problem when he's dribbling. He's simply too big for shooting guards, point guards and even most small forwards.

Not all is right with White, however. For one, he turns it over nearly as much as he completes assists. He's recording nearly four turnovers to only five assists per, which leads you to believe that White may have trouble dealing with the quick hands of smaller guards.

Also, the guy can't shoot a lick. He shot 53 percent from the field, but has no range beyond the arc and shot an astoundingly awful 50 percent from the foul line.

White's special. But someone who can't shoot free throws and turns the ball over frequently? That's going to hurt early on, and possibly throughout, his NBA career.

Fab Melo

At 7', 255 pounds, Fab Melo is projected to go in the first round of this year's draft solely because of his size.

There aren't many other redeeming qualities to Melo because there hasn't been much seen of the Brazilian. He hardly ever played in his freshman year and we caught a glimpse of him as a sophomore in limited minutes. In 25 minutes per, Melo averaged eight points, six boards, three blocks and three personal fouls per game.

Basically, he was big and that aided him in every endeavor he pursued on the court. If he scored, it was because he was big; if he blocked shots, it was because he was big. So on, so forth. Melo's entire NCAA career was based around the concept of being larger than a healthy majority of the college basketball population.

That's where we encounter Melo's problem. He's big and that's about it. If a team is going to utilize their first-round draft pick on him, they're going to end up utilizing valuable years attempting to help Melo create a refined game.

He'll provide you with defense, sure, but his offense will come a long time from the day he was drafted.

Terrence Jones

Whatever team that ends up drafting Terrence Jones will be getting one of the most athletic players as well as one of the hardest workers.

In his time with Kentucky, Jones was everywhere on the floor. Despite standing at 6'9" and playing power forward for the Wildcats, Jones would seemingly be in five different places at once. He's got a lot of athleticism, a great defensive game and the strength to accompany the strong physical and mental traits that Jones possesses.

Jones saw his role downgraded in his second year thanks in part to a few other Kentucky Wildcats set to enter the first round this upcoming summer. In the freshman season, when Jones was given a larger role, he averaged a solid 16 points, nine boards, two blocks and two assists per.

Terrence will give you a complete well-rounded effort, but he'll also fail to show up in a few spots you'd like to see your lottery pick excel in.

Jones offensive game is extremely shaky. His jump shot from the mid-range and perimeter is lacking and will attempt to make things a little too difficult for himself, rather than just utilizing his athleticism and size to power through opposing defenders.

Harrison Barnes

Staying at North Carolina another season just may have been the right idea in Harrison Barnes' case.

After a shaky freshman year where he averaged 16 points on 42 percent shooting, Barnes saw his statistics rise across the board in his sophomore year. He averaged 17 points on 44 percent shooting in his sophomore season. It's not much, but any sign of improvement gives enough reason to NBA teams that the prospect in question attempted to learn from his mistakes.

In Barnes' situation, he took far less shots from the perimeter and took it inside where he beat teams with his inside game and mid-range shooting. He went from taking a little more than five three-pointers per in his freshman season to a little below four in his sophomore year. His percentage rose from 34 percent to 36.

Barnes has the potential to become an excellent player. At 6'8", he has a stellar mid-range and perimeter game and the ability to take it inside thanks to his athleticism.

Of course, Barnes wouldn't be on this list if there weren't some problems in his game that might affect him early on in what is sure to be a prosperous NBA career.

Barnes possesses the athleticism to drive, but will sometimes become too reliant on his jump shot which isn't exactly the equivalent of Ray Allen's. If any organization is shying away from drafting Barnes, it will come as a result of him not being aggressive as they want him to be. NBA teams want to see toughness and physicality from the player they draft, and Barnes hasn't always shown that.

Tony Wroten

A 6'5" guard with athleticism, defensive skills and court vision? How on earth is Tony Wroten being projected to go late in the first round?

Well, for a few reasons actually, but we'll get to those in a moment.

Coming out of the University of Washington, Wroten is being written as the possible steal of the draft. He averaged 17 points, five boards, four assists and two steals per in the line season he spent with the Huskies. He put just about everything on display, from his ability to take it in to his stellar defensive skills.

It'll be his defense that will attract many potential suitors. At 6'5" and capable of defending the 1 or 2, Wroten is an oddity that NBA organizations love to see.

However, he does have his fair share of problems, including his turnovers. Wroten averaged 3.7 assists per, yet somehow managed to average 3.8 turnovers.

Also, his jump shot is pitiful. He has no range along the perimeter, he shot 16 percent from deep last year, and he managed to top that by shooting 58 percent from the free-throw line. Unless you're Rajon Rondo, you're not getting away with numbers like that.

Wroten's defense and ability to get to the rim will aid him early on in his NBA career, but he'll need to create a jump shot if he wants to be taken seriously.