NBA Draft 2012: Underrated Players Who Will Surprise as Rookies

Sometimes, NBA GMs get it wrong.

They got it wrong in 2011 by letting guys like Chandler Parsons, MarShon Brooks, Lavoy Allen, and especially Isaiah Thomas slip too far in the draft. 

It happens every year and it's going to happen again in 2012.

Let's take a look at what players will likely slide too far and end up making GMs kick themselves from day one. 

Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse

Nbadraft.net has Waiters going No. 20 overall and draftexpress.com has him going No. 18. That's entirely too low for Waiters, who will produce like a top-10 pick. 

Waiters came off the bench at Syracuse, but that's just because he was instant offense and Jim Boeheim liked it that way. If he would have played at any other school, the dynamic guard who averaged 12.6 points per game would have averaged 20. 

It's unknown what position Waiters will truly play at, but he has the ball-handling skills to at least fill in for a team's point guard and he has the size (6'4, 210 pounds) to play shooting guard. 

Waiters struggled at times with his outside shot (36.3 percent), but he's most effective getting to the hoop and hitting tough shots inside. 

His combination of strength, quickness, and ability to score an array of ways from the inside has him drawing comparisons to Dwyane Wade. While he's still obviously far away from the level of Wade, it's not hard to see why he draws that praise.

Waiters is instant offense and he'll likely compete for the Sixth Man of the Year award within his first year or two in the NBA.

Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure

The one thing holding Nicholson back is his size (6'9", 220 pounds), but I'm not too concerned about that.

Why?

Because the physics major is incredibly smart on the court and can score from anywhere on the floor. 

In addition to having quite possibly the best footwork of any big man in the draft, Nicholson has a pretty stroke from the outside. 

During his senior season, he hit 59 percent of his shots from inside and 43 percent from long range. Those numbers helped him compile 24.6 points per 40 minutes and a 60 percent effective field goal percentage, both of which are ranked near the top of this draft class.

Nicholson is an absolute offensive monster, but most importantly, he's smart enough to know when and where to take his shots. Whoever lands this stud near the end of the first round will laugh all the way to the bank. 

Royce White, SF, Iowa State

The anxiety problems are going to kill White's stock, but considering his play on the court, he doesn't deserve that.

At 6'8", 270 pounds, White has menacing size for a small forward and his game is an absolute joy to watch.

He's not just a bruiser down low, he is a tremendous ball-handler and can drive to the hoop with a real effectiveness.

During his only season with Iowa State, White led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

Yup, all of them. He can do everything on the court and he is the definition of a point-forward. He will be able to contribute right away in the NBA. 

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