2012 NBA Draft Order: Complete Order and Lottery Pick Projections

Kurt ScottJun 7, 2018

The NBA Draft Lottery is in the books, the big prize is going to the Big Easy, and the poker game involving picks two through sixty is now underway.

Aside from some shuffling at the top of the order, there were few surprises:

Golden State, which landed the seventh spot, will keep the pick that would have gone to the Utah Jazz if they'd fallen out of the top seven.

The Brooklyn Nets, who failed to land in the top three, will send the rights to the sixth pick to Portland as part of the Gerald Wallace trade.

And the Charlotte Bobcats fell to second pick in the draft despite having had the best statistical chance to win the Anthony Davis sweepstakes.

With all that settled, here are the projected picks of the fourteen lottery teams that will look to change their fortunes on June 28th.

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1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

1 of 14

Position: PF
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 220 pounds
Age: 19
School: Kentucky

Serendipity, fate, "basketball reasons"—whatever you choose to call it, the New Orleans Hornets have landed the number one pick in the NBA draft and changed the future of their organization.

Conspiracy theorists should consider karma as a possible explanation: Monty Williams' Hornets "anti-tanked", essentially, by competing hard throughout the season and winning six of their final ten games (including victories against the playoff-bound Grizzlies and Jazz).

Regardless of the reason, the only true franchise talent in the 2012 NBA draft is headed to the Bayou, where he'll grace fans with his game-changing defense and sky-high potential for years to come.

2. Charlotte Bobcats: Thomas Robinson (Kansas)

2 of 14

Position: SF
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 237 pounds
Age: 21
School: Kansas

The heartbreak is still fresh, but Mr. Jordan has exactly twenty-nine days until the draft to reconcile himself to his consolation prize: Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson.

The 6’10” junior has drawn comparisons to Derrick Williams, Paul Millsap and Patrick Patterson—semi-refined face-up players with un-ideal length, in other words.

The good news for Jordan, Cho and company is that the fit here is strong; Thomas has a solid, if unspectacular, skill-set to complement Bismack Biyombo’s defense.

The Bobcats frontcourt is one that can grow together and, as a fringe benefit, dump its stock in Byron Mullens.

3. Washington Wizards: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky)

3 of 14

Position: PF
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 18
School: Kentucky

In the interest of selecting the Best Player Available—a cardinal rule of the NBA draft, except when it's not—Andre Drummond will get a long look here.

But Washington won’t pass on Kentucky freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

MKG embodies everything the Wizards haven’t been and hope to be: relentless, intelligent and tough.

He’s also an open-court demon, having finished 71% of his field goals on the break in college (first among this year’s draft prospects).

No one will be more glad for it than John Wall, who will enjoy having a running mate and someone to assume some of the leadership burden for the first time in his Wizards career.

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4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Andre Drummond (UConn)

4 of 14

Position: C
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 275 pounds
Age: 19
School: UConn

Cleveland may have reservations about drafting Drummond, but they’ll likely draft him nonetheless.

The UConn center is the most impressive specimen in the draft. And, in the absence of a sure-fire prospect at this stage of the draft, they’ll hope that Drummond’s one year at UConn, an unremarkable campaign to say the least, was the kind of stumbling block common to big men whose bodies grow faster than their ability to take over games.

5. Sacramento Kings: Harrison Barnes (UNC)

5 of 14

Position: SF
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 19
School: North Carolina

Barnes’ stock swung like a pendulum during his two years at UNC.

An AP Preseason All-American in 2010, he was billed as a world-beater before small performances in big moments put a dent in his stock.

But his skill-set will be an asset to the Kings, who need steady play and leadership more than anything. Ideally, Barnes will be the rug that ties Sacramento's proverbial room together with his all-around game.

6. Portland Trail Blazers: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

6 of 14

Position: PF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 280 pounds
Age: 20
School: Ohio State

Sullinger may be the first value pick in the draft.

A potential No. 2 pick after his freshman season at Ohio State, he returned for a sophomore season and refined his offensive repertoire.

His great hands, scoring touch, and improving face-up game—to balance his proficiency playing with his back to the basket—are his strongest assets.

If he continues to manage his weight issues, he’ll fit easily alongside Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, another big man who can score from both the low and high post.

7. Golden State Warriors: John Henson (UNC)

7 of 14

Position: PF
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 21
School: North Carolina

John Henson is a strong pick for the Warriors who'll need athleticism in the frontcourt.

He has game-changing defensive ability, having put up 2.9 bocks per game in his junior year at UNC.

And while his rail-thin frame means he’ll never be a low post threat, his improved jumper and touch around the basket will keep him from being an offensive liability.

8. Toronto Raptors: Bradley Beal (Florida)

8 of 14

Position: SG
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 195 pounds
Age: 18
School: Florida

Toronto will gladly snatch Beal with the eighth pick, despite positional overlap with Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.

Especially since the Florida freshman has skills DeRozan doesn’t, namely shooting range and ball-handling, and he may even be able to spend some time at point guard.

Beal's also a great kid, by all accounts, with a great basketball IQ and work ethic.

His biggest knock—and perhaps the main reason he falls this far—is his stature: he’s an undersized shooting guard at just 6’3”.

9. Detroit Pistons: Jeremy Lamb (UConn)

9 of 14

Position: SG
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 19
School: UConn

Like Sullinger, Lamb returned to school for his sophomore year after a successful freshman campaign, when he played alongside the Bobcats' Kemba Walker to win a national championship.

From the standpoint of his draft stock, the move may have paid off as he displayed a better all-around game in the midst of a forgettable UConn season.

His biggest asset, however, remains his incredible shooting range. If he pans out, Detroit may feel that much more comfortable shopping Ben Gordon and his bloated contract.

10. New Orleans Hornets: Kendall Marshall (UNC)

10 of 14

Position: PG
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 188 pounds
Age: 20
School: North Carolina

Damian Lillard will get strong consideration, but Marshall, the best pass-first point guard in the country, and the stronger fit alongside shooting guard Eric Gordon, will be the pick here.

It’s easy to forget what a stellar season Marshall had for UNC before breaking his wrist in this year’s NCAA tournament. He's as cerebral as any player in this draft, and Coach Monty Williams couldn't ask for a better facilitator to feed Anthony Davis.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (Weber State)

11 of 14

Position: PG
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 21
School: Weber State

The versatile scoring point guard will be a great pick-up for the Blazers, who’ll likely look to replace both Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton this offseason.

Lilllard is a dead-eye shooter with legitimate NBA three-point range. He’ll provide spacing, he'll see the floor, and he'll be a real threat to drive with either hand and finish strong at the basket.

The biggest question about Lillard, for now, is whether playing in the Big Sky Conference prepared him for the league.

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Perry Jones III (Baylor)

12 of 14

Position: PF
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 235 pounds
Age: 20
School: Baylor

Jones is clearly the most talented player left on the board—more talented, in fact, than several taken earlier. But concerns over his motor will drop him to the twelve spot.

Don’t expect to see Jones slip any further, however, as Milwaukee will add him to their stable of rangy forwards and hope that he distinguishes himself.

The Kevin Garnett comparisons have long been dashed, but if Jones can fulfill even half of his tremendous potential, he’ll return strong value this late in the draft.

13. Phoenix Suns: Austin Rivers (Duke)

13 of 14

Position: SG
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 199 pounds
Age: 19
School: Duke

Duke freshman Austin Rivers, son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, has polarized draft analysts more than any other prospect in his class. Lately, the narrative has focused heavily on what he isn’t, rather than what he is.

He isn’t as good a finisher or a shooter as you’d like, and he’s neither big enough to be a prototypical shooting guard nor skilled enough to run the point.

What he is, however, is an instinctive scorer that isn’t afraid to take over games.

For a Suns team that’s preparing to turn the page on Steve Nash, it makes all the sense in the world to see if Rivers can be their lead guard of the future.

14. Houston Rockets: Tyler Zeller (UNC)

14 of 14

Position: C
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 235 pounds
Age: 22
School: North Carolina

A 22-year-old senior, Zeller is nearly a finished product. That product is one nearly every NBA team, including the Rockets, have room for in their rotation.

He’s a competent scorer, operating primarily in the post where he has no problem catching the ball. He has touch around the basket, and has shown signs of developing range out to fifteen feet.

Zeller won’t be a season-changer for the Rockets. But if he earns minutes, he can bolster a frontcourt that’s aging (Marcus Camby) and woefully inconsistent (Samuel Dalembert).

Here is the rest of the draft order.

Round 1:

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston Rockets (from Knicks)

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Jazz)

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston Celtics (from Clippers)

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland Cavaliers