NBA Draft 2012: Consensus Lottery Picks with Biggest Red Flags

Every single NBA draft class is littered with busts.

It’s an unavoidable issue, and even the most consistent teams with great scouts that draft well will occasionally be saddled with a terrible player who doesn’t pan out.

It’s most painful when a franchise wastes a lottery selection on a prospect who is supposed to help return the team to glory but instead ends up setting them back a few years.

Guys like Hasheem Thabeet, Joe Alexander, Yi Jianlian and Adam Morrison are just a recent few examples of top picks going far too early and never amounting to much in the NBA.

Let’s take a look at some members of the 2012 class who may go in the lottery but have too many warning signs to ignore and could easily bust out. 

Andre Drummond

The UConn product looks every bit the part of a solid NBA big man. He stands at a legit 6’11”, 280 pounds with tremendous athleticism to match his massive frame. Drummond can knock down jumpers, make good passes, rebound like a fiend and block shots into the second row.

However, he was one of the most inconsistent players during his freshman season with the Huskies and seemed to be tentative far too often, especially in clutch situations.

For example, in his last game of collegiate basketball against Iowa State in the NCAA tournament, Drummond put up a pedestrian performance of two points, three rebounds and four blocks and then fouled out after 26 minutes of play.

If he couldn’t assert himself against lesser, undersized competition, there is the huge question of whether or not he can do it against more skilled and sizable NBA bigs.

Perry Jones III

PJIII is one of the most versatile forwards to declare in a long time. He’s a ridiculous 6’11”, 235 pounds with range out to the three-point line, a natural ability to finish at the rim and speed to get up and down the court on a fast break. Jones can also grab boards and block shots with his solid wingspan.

The only concern about his game, and it is a major one, is that he doesn’t have much of a motor.

Jones is such a skilled player that it makes it even more maddening that he doesn’t flash it on every single possession. He goes through long stretches of being uninvolved with plays and seems to mentally check out.

If Jones continues to avoid committing himself to excellence each time he steps on the floor, there is a chance he doesn’t see much time on it at all.

Tyler Zeller

Zeller is a fundamentally sound seven-footer who just finished up his senior season at UNC. He had a nice career there, but the problem with Zeller is that what teams have seen is what they will get from the kid.

The Tar Heel can run the floor and has good hands, but he doesn’t do anything at an elite level. It’s questionable that he even has the strength to become a serviceable center in the NBA.

If Tyler can make an impact in the NBA one day, it’s most likely going to be as a role player coming off the bench. For that reason alone, he’s not worth a lottery pick.