2012 NBA Draft Order: Teams in Prime Position to Fill Glaring Needs

There is no better time for an NBA team to address a glaring need than during the NBA draft, especially when the team is in a perfect position to draft a player who can immediately fill that hole.

There are numerous teams this year who can capitalize on the perfect position of their draft pick and become a contender if they draft the right guy to eliminate one huge problem on their roster.

These are those teams.

New Orleans Hornets

This one is obvious, but NBA fans need to realize that the Hornets are going to be a good team in the near future.

The Hornets community couldn't be happier to have grabbed the No. 1 overall pick and will surely draft Kentucky's power forward/center/man-child Anthony Davis.

He's going to make a huge defensive contribution to the Hornets, but they weren't that bad in that department last season, as they finished eighth in the league in points allowed per game.

Where he'll make his biggest impact is on the glass, both offensively and defensively. New Orleans finished 24th in rebounds per game, and that's something Davis can come in and change immediately.

The difference between winning and losing a game can be as little as two or three boards, and Davis is one of the best rebounding prospects we've seen in some time.

Lest you forget that the Hornets have the No. 10 pick in the draft as well, from the Minnesota Timberwolves via the Los Angeles Clippers.

They need a point guard, seeing as Jarrett Jack is absolutely not a winning player by any stretch of the imagination.

Greivis Vazquez ran the point for them when Jack went down in the second half of the season, but there are better options than the former Maryland standout in this year's draft class.

The Hornets have options at No. 10. They can go with Damian Lillard out of Weber State, who is more of a scoring point guard than a pass-first guy, or they can go with Kendall Marshall, who is the quintessential floor general.

Davis is going to get the most attention on the offensive end, so the Hornets should probably go with Lillard because he can score at will if Davis is being hounded by double teams.

Lillard can score in so many ways.

He can hit shots from anywhere past half court, he has a great mid-range game, he can effectively run the pick-and-roll, he's adequate in transition, he can score in traffic and his drive-and-kick game will pair perfectly with Eric Gordon's shooting skills (if Gordon re-signs with the team).

See for yourself.

New Orleans finished in the middle of the pack in assists per game at No. 16. They also finished 29th in points per game. That is all going to change next season though, as they will have viable scoring options in Davis, Gordon and Lillard if they choose to go that route.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have multiple glaring needs on their roster, but the most troublesome of all is that they have nobody who can take the attention of off John Wall. At No. 3, Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are likely to be gone, meaning that Bradley Beal will probably be the choice for the Wizards.

Washington finished 27th in the league in assists and 22nd in points per game, but those numbers are going to substantially improve once Beal joins the team. 

We frequently see Wall getting locked down by other teams because they know he has nobody on the floor with him who can put the ball in the hoop.

Beal is perfect for Wall because he's the best shooter in this draft class by far. He can shoot the ball from anywhere and knows how to move without it, which is crucial in an offense that will see Wall with the ball in his hands for most of the time.

Wall loves to drive, and with Beal on the perimeter teams are going to have to be wary of the drive-and-kick offensive strategy. Wall is an excellent penetrator, and he will only improve now that opponents won't be able to clog the lane as much as they did last season, thanks to Beal on the perimeter.

The transition game is where Wall thrives, and with Beal trailing on the wing, the Wizards can only get better from here on out.

Not to mention Beal can score at will. Check it out.

Boston Celtics

It's no secret that the Celtics are the worst rebounding team in the entire league. They pulled down a paltry 7.7 offensive boards per game and posted a total rebound differential of -4.4. The fact that they are in the Eastern Conference Finals right now is bewildering, as they have absolutely no size to compete with bigger teams.

Fortunately for Boston, they have back-to-back picks at No. 21 and No. 22.

Enter Fab Melo and Andrew Nicholson.

The team is in prime position to address their two main problems, as Melo can come in and make an immediate rebounding and shot blocking impact, while Nicholson is a great shooter for a power forward.

Melo is one of the rawest big men in the draft, if not the rawest, but his frame will help him get better rapidly, and you can't teach height.

Having Rajon Rondo feeding you the ball down low can't do anything but help either.

Nicholson isn't as tall as Kevin Garnett, but he's just as good of a defender, and maybe even a better shooter than KG is. Playing behind Garnett will only help Nicholson develop as a player.

The dominant big men in this draft will surely be gone by the time the Celtics pick, but Doc Rivers is going to have to revamp the entire roster in the coming years with the Big Three on an obvious decline.

If the Celtics had some players who could rebound, they might not be down two games against the Miami Heat.

Here is a link to the full order of the 2012 NBA draft.