NBA Draft 2012: Ranking the Top 10 Pure Shooters in the Class

With all the hype surrounding projected No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, there are plenty of pure shooters in the 2012 NBA draft.

Shooting ability alone is often not enough for a player to be selected in the first round. 

However, prospects who can flat out score the rock and already possess NBA range are capable of making an immediate impact in rotations needing an offensive spark.

Here are the 10 purest shooters in this year's draft class.

10. Tyshawn Taylor

The Kansas stud stayed in school all four years, which paid dividends, as he had easily his best season as a senior.

Although he is considered a bit of a tweener combo guard due to his 6'3" height, Taylor has proven that he can create his own shot.

Taylor shot nearly 48 percent from the field and a respectable 38 percent from beyond the arc, and he has shown he has NBA three-point range

The fact that he isn't a prototypical 1 or 2 and has questionable decision-making at times, has dropped his draft stock to a projected second-round pick.

Still, Taylor should be able to provide punch off the bench for an NBA team next season, which makes him a good value pick based on his projection.

9. William Buford

Buford didn't quite live up to the billing he had entering Ohio State after winning Mr. Basketball in Ohio during his senior year.

It is concerning that his shooting numbers dipped a little bit in his senior season, but Buford still must be considered an asset. He shot 46 percent from the field in his junior year and 44 percent from beyond the arc.

The subtraction of Jon Diebler from this year's team had to have hurt his production, leading to more contested shots.

With a solid all-around game and projected second-round value, Buford should find a way to be a solid backup shooting guard this coming season.

He can run off of screens as well as create his own shot off the dribble, which should translate well in the pros.

8. Jeremy Lamb

A sure top-10 pick, Lamb is freakishly athletic and can score from anywhere on the floor.

In looking at his numbers in his sophomore season at UConn, shooting just under 34 percent from three with over six attempts per game is slightly alarming.

Lamb can get his own shot whenever he wants, and he shoots from such a high release that it makes it nearly impossible to bother.

If Lamb can get more consistent from beyond the arc, he could be that much more dangerous. He has shown that he can get hot, but must improve his shot selection if he wants to succeed at the NBA level.

Unlike some other pure shooters in this class, Lamb will benefit from playing against top-tier competition in the Big East conference. He will also benefit in the NBA from not being the No. 1 offensive option as he was in college.

7. Kevin Murphy

Although Murphy played against lower competition at Tennessee Tech, the sharp-shooting guard shouldn't be docked for that.

On a team that had just one other player score in double figures, Murphy was the prime focus of defenses and had to contend with shots that were constantly contested.

Despite that, he shot 44 percent from the field and nearly 42 percent from three-point range.

The video above shows pretty much the entire arsenal, beautiful form, and everything you could hope for from an NBA player on the offensive side of the ball.

Murphy can shoot from well beyond the pro three-point line off the dribble and off of screens with players all over him. That's good enough competition in my book.

6. Bradley Beal

The University of Florida's sensational freshman is the top shooting guard prospect in the draft.

Although he has a sweet stroke and exceptional range, he still attempted five three-pointers per game in his freshman year and shot just under 34 percent.

Numbers can be deceiving, though. During the SEC and NCAA tournaments, Beal shot 58 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep.

Beal is athletic enough to get to the bucket as well, and has been compared to Ray Allen by ESPN's draft expert Chad Ford.

With such a hot finish to the end of his college career, Beal should step into a starting role immediately due to his ability to play defense and high basketball IQ.

...And, of course, because he can shoot.

5. Hollis Thompson

The Georgetown wing player was a model of consistency throughout his three-year NCAA career.

Thompson never shot below 43 percent from three-point range playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, and was also proficient overall from the field.

Surprisingly, Thompson never managed better than 72 percent from the free-throw line in any of his three seasons.

According to NBADraft.net's scouting report, Thompson doesn't have much to offer outside of his jumper, which makes him a projected second-round pick.

It's possible that the level of competition he played against in the Big East might have limited Thompson's effectiveness in other areas of his game.

Regardless, an NBA team that takes a chance on Thompson will get an instant boost to its offense off the bench and a 6'8" athlete who can create matchup advantages with his size as a 2-guard.

4. Kim English

The Mizzou guard saw a staggering improvement in his numbers in his senior season.

After shooting below 40 percent in each of his first three college seasons, English went on a tear and shot 52 percent from the field and just under 46 percent from deep.

The incredible turnaround ended in a disappointing 1-of-7 showing in the shocking loss to Norfolk State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Before that, English was playing the best basketball of his life in the Big 12 tournament, which Missouri won.

English finished the tournament averaging 23 points and shot 78.8 percent from the field.

He went from being a relatively poor shooter to arguably the best shooter in college basketball after one offseason of extremely hard work.

This perseverance shown by English and his obvious incredible work ethic is sure to impress NBA teams.

As long as that effort and newly found form carries over, English should have a successful NBA career.

Watch for English to be a sleeper second-round prospect and have a huge impact in his rookie season.

3. Doron Lamb

His shooting numbers dipped slightly in his sophomore season at Kentucky, but that's not too much of a knock on Lamb.

Despite the decline, here are his numbers: .474 FG%, .466 3PT%, .826 FT%.

That's pretty darn good.

Although he is a little bit undersized for an NBA 2-guard at 6'4" and 199 pounds, Lamb should still be selected in the first round.

Lamb can get to the basket and has a strong mid-range game, according to his NBADraft.net scouting report. He also is smart with the basketball and clearly takes high percentage shots.

The numbers Lamb put up in college may have resulted from playing with other superstar prospects, but he won't be the primary scoring option on his NBA squad, either.

There won't be pressure on Lamb to score in double figures right away. However, with his shooting ability, Lamb may do just that as a rookie.

2. Damian Lillard

The Weber State point guard improved his overall shooting percentage in each of his four years for the Wildcats.

He averaged over seven three-point attempts per game and shot at a .409 percent clip. Lillard also shot 88 percent from the free-throw line and averaged eight attempts per game from there.

Although the Big Sky Conference isn't exactly the ACC, Lillard still managed to be the second-leading scorer in the NCAA with 24.5 points per game.

Now projected as a top-10 pick according to Chad Ford's Top 100 on ESPN.com, it's clear Lillard has caught the eye of NBA scouts despite the lower level of collegiate competition.

Since there's literally only one picture of Lillard in Getty images, the highlight tape above shows his incredible all-around offensive game. This guy is pure, and his form is so consistent.

Especially noteworthy is the lightning-quick release from beyond the arc and off the dribble.

1. John Jenkins

Projected to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second, Jenkins will provide an offensive lift to any NBA team.

Jenkins attempted nearly nine threes per game in his junior season at Vanderbilt.

His scouting report (in the external link above) says he can't create much offense for himself. If that's the case, Jenkins still shot 44 percent from three-point range...apparently without the ability to create a shot.

Strong defensive teams in the SEC knew his shot was coming, and he's allegedly not athletic enough to get his own shot.

Yet, he still shot the ball that well.

That says something about the caliber of shooter we're dealing with here in Jenkins.

There is simply no better pure shooter than Jenkins, and it's harder to remember one this good since J.J. Redick.

Redick is having an effective NBA career despite concerns about his game coming out of college, which sound awfully similar to the evaluations of Jenkins.

Especially with the potential to be drafted late in Round 1 by a good team, Jenkins could be explosive off the bench. He could very well become a key cog on a championship contender next season.