2012 NBA Lottery Results: 4 Lottery Prospects Who Will Never Make the Playoffs

The results are in from the 2012 NBA Draft lottery. Lady fortune has shined on the New Orleans Hornets, who have won the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming draft.

One year removed from losing Chris Paul, they find themselves in a position to add the best player in the country: Anthony Davis.

The Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards wind out the top three, giving guys like me an opportunity to more definitively understand where teams will be picking in the draft.

While all the prospects that are available in the Top 14 of the lottery will likely all have some sort of NBA career to hang their hats on, here are four who won't make the playoffs during the duration of their NBA tenures.

John Henson, North Carolina (PF)

While Henson certainly brings shot blocking and an intriguing offensive game to the NBA, he just reminds me too much of Ed Davis and Brandan Wright—not to make the comparison.

Davis left the Tar Heels following his freshman season and is now with the Toronto Raptors, struggling to live up to his lottery pick status.

Wright found a home with the Dallas Mavericks after flunking out with the Golden State Warriors, who selected him seventh overall.

All three have similar body types, and all three are North Carolina products. While the Tar Heels have a great legacy for winning and producing NBA talent, their recent big men haven't produced much more than role players for their new teams.

Henson, to me, seems like the kind of lottery prospect that will need several years of grooming and help before he's ready to make a real impact. By that time, he could get lost in the shuffle of younger talent and height at his position.

Austin Rivers, Duke (G)

Rivers will likely go in the Top 14 of the draft.

He has too much talent, experience and an NBA pedigree to pass up for very long. He also showed an ability to be "the man," single-handedly leading Duke to a victory in Tyler Zeller and North Carolina's face.

However, it's unclear if he will turn his playmaking ability into that of a Dwayne Wade or a Monta Ellis.

If I had to guess, Ellis would be the more likely story.

While he is a youthful player with one season of collegiate experience, he's also at a crossroads in his career development.

If there was a team out there that emphasized fundamentals and team basketball, like Boston, that was in line to select him, I'd say he could be a budding star in this league.

But the one-on-one NBA game prevails in most franchise's offenses. While Rivers could put up huge numbers, it might never be on a team destined for many more lottery dates.

Perry Jones, Baylor (SF/PF)

The Lamar Odom Jr. of this year's draft is Perry Jones III.

Unlike the other "III" at Baylor, the one who won the Heisman trophy and was selected at the top of the draft class, this Baylor "III" never lived up to his hype.

Regarded as one of the top prospects in his freshman class, Jones put up good, but not great, numbers for coach Scott Drew and Baylor.

He was often criticized and much maligned for his unselfishness to the point of deferring, even though he was the best athlete and player on the team.

Will those unselfish and passive traits reappear in the NBA, when that kind of inefficiency is the difference in championship teams and lottery ones?

Right now, the answer is yes.

Jones will continue to develop and be a very good player on whichever team that drafts him, but it's in poor taste to think it will be on a playoff team based on his current resume. 

Andre Drummond, UConn (C)

Andre Drummond could be the highest risk, highest reward prospect of the entire first round.

His 6'11" frame and shot blocking ability are drawing comparisons to a very young Dwight Howard, but also Hasheem Thabeet. Those are two very different paths for an NBA center.

He's only 18 years old, so there is plenty of room for growth on both the offensive and defensive end. He already can jump out of the gym, so in the right system with a pass-first point guard and an up-tempo offense, he could be very good by the end of his rookie contract.

We all know that type of NBA game is hit or miss.

The San Antonio Spurs have found a way to grind it out against the much more run-and-gun Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami's defense against the Boston Celtics, and vice versa, is much more of a half court game.

Drummond might find himself as the centerpoint of a team's success in the near future, especially if his body molds into the physical specimen Howard is now.

But, it's much more likely he turns into Thabeet at this point, drifting from team to team in pursuit of a stable home.