NBA Draft 2012: 10 Eligible Players Who Left College Too Early

Sometimes the allure of the riches that the NBA has to offer proves to be a bit too much temptation for young players in the ranks of college basketball. These are 10 players who succumbed to that allure too soon for their own good. 

Whether they needed to develop their all-around game, their decision-making or something else entirely, these players needed another year of seasoning before entering their names into the 2012 draft class. 

Don't get me wrong though, they'll hear their names called early and may go on to have successful NBA careers. 

It's just that another year of college could help them out a lot. 

Harrison Barnes

School: North Carolina

Position: SF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'8", 215 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists

There's so much to love about Harrison Barnes' game, but he's also been picked apart by scouts, making just about everyone realize that there's a lot of room left for the sophomore to improve. 

As good as Barnes is at shooting, he still struggles to create his own attempts and there's no guarantee that he'll be playing alongside a point guard that facilitates as well as Kendall Marshall did at North Carolina. 

Additionally, he can't pass at all. Seriously, it's awful to watch. 

Barnes is going to be a good scorer, but another year under the tutelage of Roy Williams couldn't hurt. His stock couldn't have dipped any more than it already has. 

Andre Drummond

School: Connecticut

Position: PF/C

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'10", 270 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists

If we were judging NBA prospects solely in terms of their collegiate production, Andre Drummond would go undrafted. There's no doubt about that. 

However, that's not how the draft order is determined. Potential, athleticism, youth and plenty of other factors are taken into account. 

Drummond is a man-child with physical tools that are quite simply through the roof. We just haven't seen those tools manifest themselves in his actual play on the court. 

Moe Harkless

School: St. John's

Position: SG/SF

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'8", 208 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 15.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists

At St. John's, Moe Harkless was able to succeed on offense thanks to his ridiculous jaw-dropping feats of athleticism. Compared to some of the players he was matched up against, it must have seemed like he could fly. 

On defense, it was all about Harkless' quick hands. The swingman racked up the steels, but he was also quite prone to defensive lapses that resulted from his lack of technique and experience. 

The only way to remedy those shortcomings is by getting more time on the court. It would've been nice for Harkless to improve against players weaker than the ones he'll be going up against in the NBA, but alas, that is no longer an option. 

Perry Jones III

School: Baylor

Position: PF

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 6'11", 235 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists

Perry Jones III has the upside to be one of the best players in this draft class, but he's inconsistent. Quite frankly, calling the power forward from Baylor inconsistent is being a bit generous. 

There were stretches during Jones' sophomore season when he looked like a National Player of the Year candidate. Just minutes later, he would look like a benchwarmer that in no way deserved to be on the court. Sometimes, you could just forget he was on the court. 

Jones is cashing in on his upside, but another season, one filled with consistency this time, could have made him a surefire top-five pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. 

Meyers Leonard

School: Illinois

Position: C

Year: Sophomore

Vitals: 7'1", 245 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists

While skills and technique can be taught, size, as the saying goes, simply cannot be taught. 

The one thing that Meyers Leonard has in abundance right now is his size. The center's 7'1" frame isn't going anywhere, which means that he could have easily chosen to return to Illinois for his junior season and worked on his game. 

Leonard is quite unpolished on both ends of the floor and his rookie season is going to be one filled with struggles. 

Quincy Miller

School: Baylor

Position: SF

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'9", 200 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists

This young small forward from Baylor has been compared to Kevin Durant by some people thanks to his length and athleticism from the same position. 

The comparison works, except for one minor detail. 

Durant can shoot the ball. Quincy Miller can't. 

Until Miller can hit his jumpers with any semblance of consistency, he's just another high-upside project player. 

Arnett Moultrie

School: Mississippi State

Position: PF/C

Year: Junior

Vitals: 6'11", 230 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 15.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists

If character and mental flaws hadn't made the red flags rear their ugly heads, Arnett Moultrie surely would have been a lottery pick. There's still a chance that he's selected within the top 14, but many mock drafts, including the ones I've been putting out there, have Moultrie's name being called out near the end of the first round. 

A solid power forward with the athleticism and height necessary to line up at center when the need arises, Moultrie has an undeniable amount of physical tools and skill. The combination resulted in a constant double-double threat during his final season with Mississippi State. 

However, if he could show more maturity during his senior season, those red flags might turn into yellow, or maybe even green.

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

Austin Rivers has an NBA-ready game in some areas, but his decision-making still needs a bit of seasoning. There aren't many coaches in college basketball better at helping out young players than Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. 

Sure, Rivers is sensational when it comes to treating the ball like a yo-yo and can thread into a lane in his sleep. He's a great athlete and a volume scorer who should be able to make things happen during his rookie season. 

The problem is that all of those things might not be positive unless the young son of Doc Rivers starts thinking like an NBA player. 

Marquis Teague

School: Kentucky

Position: PG

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'2", 189 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists

Marquis Teague entered his freshman season at Lexington as one of the most highly-touted freshman in the country, a player who seemed a near-lock to be selected in the lottery portion of the 2012 NBA draft. 

Now he's not even guaranteed to be taken in the top 20. 

Teague's turnover-prone nature, iffy decision-making and lack of elite offense were quite evident during his freshman season, especially in comparison to his incredible teammates. 

During March Madness, Teague started to prove that he wasn't actually a weak link, but actually a strong piece in the Kentucky Wildcat's championship puzzle. Another season under John Calipari, this time as a team leader and star player, could only have done good things for him. 

Tony Wroten

School: Washington

Position: PG/SG

Year: Freshman

Vitals: 6'5", 205 pounds

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists

Tony Wroten may have scored 16.7 points per game thanks to his athleticism and versatile offensive nature, but he's not without flaws on that end of the court. 

His 3.8 turnovers per game is tied with Royce White for the most of any player commonly appearing in either round of most mock drafts. 

That's just not going to cut it. 

Much like any other young player with only one year of experience at the collegiate level, Wroten's decision-making could use a bit more seasoning.