NBA Draft Lottery 2012: Jared Sullinger and 3 Draft Steals Toward End of Lottery

In 2011, Jared Sullinger was considered one of the best prospects in college basketball and was a sure-fire top five selection. Now, just a year later he could possibly fall out of the lottery picks in the 2012 NBA Draft come June.

The 2011 Draft was light on talent as many well-publicized prospects returned to school rather than risk the NBA Lockout. That rollover of talent has made the 2012 class into one of the deeper draft years in recent memory.

Sullinger isn't the only player who would go far higher in any other year. Teams in the late lottery now have some good chances to take players who could potentially be excellent steals.

Let's take a look at three players who could be late-lottery steals.

Terrence Jones

School: Kentucky

Position: SF/PF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'9", 252 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, 1.3 steals, 50.0 percent shooting

Jones would have been a top-seven selection last year, but with the lockout looming and the excellent recruiting class coming into Kentucky, Jones figured a return to college might win him a championship.

Now he has his title, but he'll drop a bit in this deeper class. Physically, he's got all the tools to be a great forward—he's strong enough to guard most bigs and still athletic enough to play small forward. He's got an above average jump shot but needs to work on his shot selection.

Defensively he's gifted, able to get a good handful of steals and blocks, but he didn't always work as hard as he should have. Still, if he gets the work ethic, he has all the tools to be an excellent selection, especially if he goes in the late lottery.

Terrence Ross

School: Washington

Position: SG/SF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'6", 195 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 45.3 percent shooting

Ross' Washington Huskies were incredibly inconsistent last season, but as a prospect there is a ton to like about Ross' individual potential. 

He's an above-average shooter with great range who isn't afraid to attack the basket when needed. A gifted athlete as well, Ross is a tough defender who can stay in front of most players who can't out-muscle him. He needs to bulk up, and he may just be a hair too short to play SF.

It'll be interesting to see where he ends up on draft night, but I could certainly see him going in the late lottery and becoming a steal.

Jared Sullinger

School: Ohio State

Position: PF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'9", 270 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks, 51.9 percent shooting

Poor Sullinger. If he's just entered the 2011 draft, he'd have been a top five pick. Could you see the Cavaliers passing on the hometown hero when they had the number four pick (they took Tristian Thompson)?

One disappointing season later, there are concerns about his potential. He certainly didn't play bad this year for Ohio State, but he failed to show any improvement. Has he already reached his ceiling? Some scouts believe so.

He's the best low-post scorer in the draft, and he has size and strength that will translate to the NBA. But he's below average athletically and he's a mediocre defender.

Could he become the next Zach Randolph? Absolutely, which means he'd be a very solid late-lottery selection. But he could also become Glen Davis.