NBA Draft 2012: Which Positions Rise to the Top in This Year's Draft?
Every year, the incoming class of rookies is a little bit stronger at certain positions. Which ones are the strongest in the 2012 NBA draft class?
Damian Lillard leads the charge at point guard, while Bradley Beal rises up as the cream of the crop at shooting guard. A pair of Kentucky forwards, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, and Andre Drummond would make up the frontcourt in this team of No. 1 options at each position.
However, it's not just about the No. 1 players. Let's look at each position from top to bottom and see how they stack up.
To do so, I'll be analyzing both the quantity and quality of the prospects who should go in the first round based upon the projected order in my latest mock draft.
No. 5 Position: Centers
Number of First-Rounders: Four (Andre Drummond, Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, Fab Melo)
Average Spot Drafted: 15
Even though the centers have a better showing in the "Average Spot Drafted" category than the point guards, I'm calling this position the worst in the class because of the massive question marks swirling around every one of the players in it.
Andre Drummond is insanely raw and could either become Dwight Howard or Kwame Brown. Truthfully, the same can be said about Meyers Leonard.
Tyler Zeller is a safe pick out of North Carolina, but it's almost a surety that he doesn't become a star. Finally, Fab Melo is a defensive player with little to no offensive game.
No. 4 Position: Point Guards
Number of First-Rounders: Four (Damian Lillard, Kendall Marshall, Marquis Teague, Tony Wroten)
Average Spot Drafted: 18
Damian Lillard is the No. 1 point guard in the class thanks to his ability to contribute to the offense in a number of ways. He can drive, pass and shoot the ball with a high level of proficiency. Kendall Marshall isn't too far behind him as the second-best floor general, but he's more limited on offense and defense than Lillard.
As for Marquis Teague and Tony Wroten, they're both high-upisde point guards who need time to develop.
No. 3 Position: Small Forwards
Number of First-Rounders: Six (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Ross, Moe Harkless, Quincy Miller, Jeffery Taylor)
Average Spot Drafted: 15.8
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is an absolute stud at small forward, and Harrison Barnes still has the talent to justify a top-five pick, but the rest of the players at this position are question marks.
Terrence Ross is a lottery-level talent, but that's more of an upside play than anything else. Moe Harkless and Quincy Miller have a lot of developing to do, and Jeffery Taylor is still more of an athlete than a basketball player, despite having spent four years at Vanderbilt.
No. 2 Position: Shooting Guards
Number of First-Rounders: Six (Bradley Beal, Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers, Dion Waiters, Evan Fournier, Doron Lamb)
Average Spot Drafted: 15
Although this position features two players with the same last name, there are more lions than lambs in this set of prospects.
Bradley Beal is the third-best prospect in the class, behind Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, while the rest of the young men listed here all have ridiculous amounts of upside or are perfect fits with their prospective teams.
No. 1 Position: Power Forwards
Number of First-Rounders: 10 (Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones III, John Henson, Arnett Moultrie, Royce White, Andrew Nicholson, Draymond Green)
Average Spot Drafted: 12.8
This position has the highest average spot drafted, the most players drafted and the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the 2012 NBA draft.
It's quite clear that the first round is chock full of power forward talent. The beauty of the position is that it features a nice blend of power forwards who can slide to the 3 (Jones, Jones III, White and Green) and those who can also play center (Davis, Sullinger, Henson, Moultrie and Nicholson).
Anthony Davis is good enough to lift the position above the rest almost by himself, but having those other nine names doesn't hurt the matter.
