NBA Lottery 2012: Non-Lottery Picks Who Will Turn out to Be Steals

Someone needs to tell the Golden State Warriors that tanking half of the season to get into the lottery isn't worth it.

OK, Golden State's situation this season was a little different because they needed a top-seven pick to avoid losing their draft selection to Utah, but time after time and year after year, teams tank to get better picks.

And time after time and year after year, the teams that didn't tank—the teams that made the playoffs—often still manage to get a terrific player in the NBA draft.

That's right, it is possible to get a star player outside of the lottery.

You don't need to look far for proof, either. In 2011, Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, Kenneth Faried and MarShon Brooks were all taken outside of the lottery. All of them except for Brooks made the All-Rookie First Team. And Brooks made the second team. 

With that being said, let's take a look at the players who will be drafted outside the lottery this year and who will subsequently make GMs hate themselves for it. 

Note: You can find the lottery teams and complete odds here.

Terrence Ross, SG, Washington

I'm under the impression that Ross will be drafted in the lottery, but nbadraft.net has him going No. 16, so I think he's fair game. 

The kid is just too explosive not to be a major factor in the NBA. 

There were times at Washington when he shied away from action or didn't look for this shot, and that is truly the only reason he didn't average over 20 points per game.

Because he certainly had the skills for it.

Practically every game, Ross was the best player on the court and could score whenever he wanted. Not only did he use his athleticism to score at the hoop, he was terrific at creating his own shot and knocking down jumpers off the dribble. 

Ross is 6'6", 195 pounds, and all of his skills will translate to the NBA. 

As long as he continues to be aggressive and attack on the offensive end, he is going to be a dynamic scorer. And if he goes anywhere after the top 14 picks, he will be a steal. 

Moe Harkless, SF, St. Johns

If you're looking for someone who resembles Kevin Durant, Harkless is your guy. To be clear, the Big East Freshman of the Year is light years away from where Durant was at this time, but you can see parallels between the two.

Harkless is 6'8", but his 7'0" wingpsan allows him to play menacing defense against an array of positions. During his only year with the Johnnies, Harkless swatted 1.4 shots and racked up 1.6 steals per game. 

The offensive side of the ball is what will kill his draft stock. Harkless shot just 20 percent from long range, and while he is effective at getting inside and scoring from under the hoop, he must improve his outside shot.

Still, I'm under the impression that Harkless, who has good mechanics, will improve that shot with repetition. 

At the very least, Harkless looks a lot like Josh Smith. He's an athletic specimen who will fill contribute on both sides of the ball.

Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure

I'm pretty sure that Nicholson's stock is near the end of the first round simply because he played for St. Bonaventure and people assume he saw a lack of competition. However, people forget the A-10 was better than the Pac-12 and a lot of other conferences this year.

And en route to leading the Bonnies to an A-10 tournament title and NCAA tournament berth, the senior was terrific.

He averaged 18.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. 

Additionally, Nicholson averaged 24.6 points per 40 minutes, which was second best among all 2012 draft prospects, and had an effective field goal percentage of 60 percent, which was fourth best.

Not only does Nicholson have a good NBA body (6'9", 240 pounds), he is an elite offensive player who can score from anywhere on the court, he's a solid rebounder and he has a high basketball IQ. 

Nicholson is ready to contribute right away in the NBA, and he's likely going to make a playoff team even more dangerous. 

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