NBA Draft Lottery 2012: Andre Drummond and Riskiest Prospects Inside Top 14

Much like Bryce Harper in the MLB and Andrew Luck in the NFL, there is little doubt that Anthony Davis will be wearing the letters "NOLA" on his chest to play basketball in the NBA next season. Behind that, however, there are a myriad of lottery prospects who could go at any point from No. 2-14.

After New Orleans won the draft lottery Wednesday night, the rest of the league will be scrambling to decide what prospects fit the mold of what they want to accomplish come draft night.

Within those next 13 picks, there will be numerous names that fly in and out of the mouths of analysts over the next month. Of those guys, there are a few that could turn out to be the new wave of NBA stars in the near future.

Also in that group will be names that are hot topics right now, but five years from now will be unrecognizable upon research into the 2012 NBA draft.

Here's a look at three of the riskiest prospects inside the top 14, some of their NBA best and worst comparisons and a few notes about why they're such a risk.

Andre Drummond

NBA Best Case: Dwight Howard

NBA Worst Case: Eddy Curry/Hasheem Thabeet

Drummond might be the next diamond in the rough at the center position. He's only going to be 19 years old for the duration of his rookie season, and has the physical tools (6'11", 270) to go toe-to-toe with almost every center in the league right now.

However, with a somewhat limited offensive game (although he did take major strides during his freshman season), the worry is that he will end up without the offensive game required to be more than a reserve down the line.

If he isn't able to add weight to his frame, he could end up like Thabeet, as only a shot blocker. Too much weight, and he turns into Eddy Curry, a guy with all the talent in the world and no drive, something Drummond is already being accused of.

The best case for any team that drafts him would be a late growth spurt and his commitment to both the weight room and developing a better low-post game every season. He draws comparisons to Howard strictly on looks, so we'll see if the team that drafts him lucks out on his development down the line.

Perry Jones

NBA Best Case: Lamar Odom

NBA Worst Case: Anthony Randolph

Jones looked lost sometimes at Baylor, deferring to Brady Heslip (who?) when he had smaller guys on him in the post or larger guys on the perimeter.

He's criticized for a lack of motor, a tendency to be too unselfish for the good of his team and an overall lack of motivation for being the best player on the court and taking over a game.

He probably would have been a top three pick in 2011, but he went back to school for his sophomore season, and while he certainly made an impact on a very good Baylor squad, it wasn't enough to solidify his status as anything more than a guy with a ton of unharnessed potential.

While he has all the tools to be both an excellent defender and offensive player, he's in more danger of turning into Randolph than Odom at this point. With the right motivation, he could be an X-factor on a good team. Without it, he's just another matchup nightmare who will see occasional action.

Austin Rivers

NBA Best Case: OJ Mayo

NBA Worst Case: Monta Ellis

While Ellis certainly isn't a bad player by any stretch, it's curious that his teams haven't been to the playoffs since he was a member of the bench for the Warriors in 2007. Mayo, by comparison, has been twice in two seasons, and has developed a nice niche as a sixth man in this league.

Rivers is a little bit of both. He can light it up from distance with anyone, get to the rim almost at will and even shows a nice jump shot off dribble penetration. However, he also worked away from Coach K's offense at times, and has a tendency to try to do too much.

He can likely step into the league and score 10 points a game as a teenager. His skills are that good, but his decision making and distribution skills can certainly use some polishing.

Ellis or Mayo comparisons aside, Rivers is going to score. Whether he's doing it for a good team, a bad team or uneventfully scoring, remains to be seen. His upside is great as a scorer, but that's it on most draft boards right now.