NBA Draft 2012: Highlighting Most Underrated Prospects in Draft

Stop crying.

In the 2012 NBA draft, there will be plenty of extremely talented prospects that will force the uneducated fan to ask who? And then the whining will begin because their favorite team just drafted the next big bust…until they actually see them ball for the first time.

Here are the top prospects that aren’t necessarily under-the-radar, but fans who don’t follow the draft process will have never heard of them.

3. Arnett Moultrie, Power Forward, Mississippi State

Moultrie has Al Horford written all over him. He didn’t play in two national championships with the Bulldogs, though, so he isn’t receiving Al Horford-attention.

At 6’11”, Moultrie is a top-notch athlete and is capable of killing a defense inside and out. At Mississippi State, he averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 points per game. While he’s bit raw, Moultrie is quality coaching away from being a matchup nightmare.

2. Terrence Ross, Shooting Guard, Washington

When you think of the top two-guard prospects in the class, who are the first names that come to your mind? Bradley Beal, Dion Waiters, Jeremy Lamb and Austin Rivers are house-hold names—Ross isn’t. But while the Husky high-flyer isn’t attracting overwhelming attention, according to Chad Ford of ESPN, at least one scout said that he deserves a major hype boost:

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“I think when he gets into workouts with [Jeremy] Lamb, [Dion] Waiters and [Austin] Rivers, he's going to surprise a lot of people. I'm not sure he's not the best 2 guard on the board. Take him away from Washington and I think he's going to be an elite prospect.”

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1. Damian Lillard, Point Guard, Weber State

Everyone and their mother have heard of Kendall Marshall, but to the dismay of UNC fans, the best point guard in the draft doesn’t call Chapel Hill home. Lillard is an elite scorer that could hear his name called as high as sixth overall when it’s all said and done.

Last season for the Wildcats, he averaged 24.5 points while shooting 40.9 percent from downtown.

Lillard is a light-out shooter from beyond the arc. He’s a phenomenal athlete with top-notch speed and strength. The cherry on top is his relentless work ethic and high basketball IQ. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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