2012 NBA Draft: Breaking Down First-Round Picks with Largest Impact

When NBA teams send in the names of the players they want to draft, they keep their collective fingers crossed that the young men they choose will make an immediate impact. 

These eight players though will be the ones making the largest impact for their new teams during their rookie seasons. Some of the names are obvious, but you won't find all of them within the lottery portion of most mock drafts. 

Read on and hope your team takes one of these guys. 

Bradley Beal

School: Florida

Position: SG

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'3", 207 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 3 to Cleveland Cavaliers

Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bradley Beal would find himself in an absolutely ideal situation. The Cavs need a stud shooting guard to line up in the backcourt alongside Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. 

If you have any doubts about Beal's size, don't. He plays much bigger than his 6'3" frame, as both his 6.5 rebounds per game as a freshman at Florida and his all-around offensive game show. 

Anthony Davis

School: Kentucky

Position: PF/C

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'10", 220 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 1 to Charlotte Bobcats

Anthony Davis has a solid chance to become a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection, even in this above-average 2012 NBA draft class. Frankly—and I'm not exaggerating here—Davis has an outside chance at sneaking onto the All-Star squad. 

He's that good. 

The unibrow is quite adept at swatting away shots, and his offensive game is both versatile and extremely underrated at the moment. 

John Henson

School: North Carolina

Position: PF/C

Year: Junior

Vitals: 6'11", 220 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 13.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 9 to Detroit Pistons

John Henson's offensive game is still a work in progress, but his defensive skills are more than solid enough to earn him a lot of run during his rookie season. 

If the former North Carolina Tar Heel winds up playing alongside Greg Monroe, the two big men will form the perfect defensive/offensive tandem in the Detroit Pistons frontcourt. 

Henson has the length necessary to overcome his lack of strength and build while battling in the post against bigger opponents, as well as the quickness and athleticism to guard more versatile power forwards and centers on the perimeter. 

Michael Kidd-Giclhrist

School: Kentucky

Position: SF

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'7", 232 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 2 to Washington Wizards

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's lack of a consistent jumper from the outside is indeed a glaring hole in his game, one that will have to be quickly filled in if he's going to become a true superstar. 

However, the rest of MKG's tools ensure than he's going to be an impact player as a rookie, especially if he gets to run the fast break with John Wall on the Washington Wizards. 

The small forward is a terrific perimeter defender and plays with an unrelenting motor. He starts out the game with more energy than anyone else, and that energy is simply never depleted. 

Jeremy Lamb

School: Connecticut

Position: SG/SF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'5", 180 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 10 to New Orleans Hornets

Jeremy Lamb doesn't have experience playing a large role on a team with an abundance of other offensive options. Then again, if he's drafted by the New Orleans Hornets, he still won't gain any experience in that situation. 

What Lamb does have is a terrific all-around offensive game. 

You can watch a lot of college basketball and not find but a handful of players as skilled as Lamb is at creating his own shot off the dribble. 

Damian Lillard

School: Weber State

Position: PG/SG

Year: Junior

Vitals: 6'3", 195 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 24.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 11 to Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard's do-it-all attitude is exactly what's going to help him make a bigger impact during his rookie season than any other point guard taken in the 2012 NBA draft. Yes, that includes Kendall Marshall. 

Lillard may not fit the prototypical point guard model where the floor general passes the ball first and calls his own number second, but he doesn't have to. 

At Weber State, this junior was the No. 1 option, and for good reason. He can score in a variety of ways and still find the open man when the situation calls for it. 

Austin Rivers

School: Duke

Position: PG/SG

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'4", 200 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 17 to Dallas Mavericks

If there's any prospect who seems like he's either going to be ridiculously good or pitifully bad at the NBA level with no middle ground, it would be Austin Rivers. 

Either way, he's going to make a big impact. The question of whether it will be a positive one still remains, though. 

Rivers has an NBA-style game with his ability to drive past defenders, create his own shot and score at will in the lane. However, if his game is going to have a positive effect on his team, he'll need to overcome his natural inclination to never pass the ball and make bad decisions on play after play. 

Thomas Robinson

School: Kansas

Position: PF

Year: Junior

Vitals: 6'10", 237 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists

Projected Draft Spot: No. 5 to Sacramento Kings

Thomas Robinson is my current pick to finish as the runner-up to Anthony Davis in the Rookie of the Year voting. I do reserve the right to change my mind once general managers don't follow the exact order of my mock draft and situations change. 

A double-double machine in college, Robinson is going to throw up quite a few 10-point, 10-rebound games at the next level as well. 

He's got the NBA body and boundless supplies of athleticism, explosiveness and quickness.

While I question his ceiling, I don't even remotely question his floor.