2012 NBA Mock Draft: Ideal Landing Places for This Year's Most Lethal Scorers
There aren't an overwhelming number of future NBA scoring title contenders on this year's draft board, so the teams that manage to snatch up the especially prolific shooters will be very lucky.
Many of the best shooters in this crop come with caveats—he hasn't yet reached his potential, he's coming off an injury or he needs to be more consistent. Still, there's a lot of raw talent to be had, and if those players live up to their potential, they could make a few select teams very, very fortunate.
Here's a complete first-round mock that takes a look at some of those players.
1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
If anyone's going to win the scoring title somewhere in the near future, it could be this guy. Nobody could stop him in the NCAA, and though the competition in the NBA will obviously be tougher, he has the most potential to be a star.
2. Charlotte Bobcats: Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
Beal is versatile enough to play the 1 or the 2, but if he's drafted as a shooting guard, he has the skills to really shine offensively.
We've all heard his own comparisons for his style—he thinks he's the next Ray Allen—and while that's quite clearly an overstatement, he has the best chance of anyone on this board of becoming that big of a shooting star. He has excellent range, he's good in the clutch and he plays good defense. He also has the versatility and the ball-handling skills to play either backcourt position.
Beal makes the most sense for the Bobcats, who need a player to start building around. With Anthony Davis off the market, Beal is the next-best option.
3. Washington Wizards: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
In terms of intangibles—toughness, leadership ability—Gilchrist is already a complete package. What he needs to work on is his shot, especially on the perimeter.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
Barnes finished the 2011-12 season as one of the best-shooting frontcourt prospects in the NCAA; what he needs, though, is a top point guard to help create offense for him.
He did tally 17.4 points per game with the Tar Heels last season, but he also struggled to be that effective when Kendall Marshall went down in the postseason. There's no question that Marshall helped him enhance his offensive capabilities, and he needs an excellent distributor to set him up.
Fortunately, in Cleveland, he'll have one in Kyrie Irving.
Barnes is a wild card. The potential is there—he can be effective from anywhere on the court—but the question remains whether he can do it all by himself.
5. Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas
Robinson could find himself off the board even earlier than this because he's one of the most complete, most physical players available, and he has the wingspan of a giant. Offensively and defensively, he'll be a boon.
6. Portland Trail Blazers: Andre Drummond, C, UConn
Drummond's been taking a lot of flak recently as the poster boy for draft fallers, and some of it's deserved; he did display a disturbing tendency for passivity at UConn, but in terms of upside, there are few players with more. If he falls out of the top five, it's hard to see Portland passing on him.
7. Golden State Warriors: Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
Like Drummond, Sullinger has taken a lot of criticism leading up to the draft for being less athletic than some of the other 4s. This week, growing concern that he has a bad back didn't do him any favors.
8. Toronto Raptors: Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
If Lillard is still available at No. 8, he makes perfect sense for a Raptors team that has long been looking for a complement to Demar DeRozan.
Purely in terms of the numbers, Lillard looks really good: He's a combo guard who put up 24.5 points per game last season, and he is certainly the best point guard in the draft.
He also gives the Raptors some versatility: With DeRozan already serving as the anchor of the backcourt, they can see where Lillard fits and use him accordingly. Though he doesn't see the floor as well as Kendall Marshall, he's a much better scoring option and has a very high NBA IQ, so there's not a lot of concern that he can't improve.
The Raptors will definitely not let him fall farther than this.
9. Detroit Pistons: Perry Jones III, PF, Baylor
Jones is a bit of a risk here because he was too passive up front at the collegiate level. But physically and in terms of raw skills, he has enormous potential.
10. New Orleans Hornets: Kendall Marshall, PG, UNC
If Lillard's not available, the Hornets are likely to go for Marshall, who might just be the perfect point guard to set up someone like Anthony Davis.
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Jeremy Lamb, SG, UConn
At this point, the reward outweighs the risk in the case of Lamb. If he'd been a more dominant shooter at UConn in the wake of Kemba Walker's departure, he could've been a top-10 pick, but he's likely to fall because he didn't live up to high expectations.
12. Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson, PF, North Carolina
Henson has size at 6'10" and an incredible 7'5" wingspan. But he's not quite dominant in the paint yet, and it's because he needs to add a lot more strength to his lanky frame.
13. Phoenix Suns: Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
Ross bodes to be one of the most lights-out shooters of them all in this draft, but he might be best utilized as a three-point specialist off the bench.
14. Houston Rockets: Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina
The Rockets are drafting based on need here, and they need a center. With Drummond gone, Zeller is an athletic, fast option who runs the floor very well.
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Terrence Jones, PF, Kentucky
Jones is a risk: He's incredibly athletic and can be an excellent shooter in spurts. But he doesn't have a true position, and at 6'8", he'll be too undersized to be dominant in the post.
16. Houston Rockets: Arnett Moultrie, PF, Mississippi State
Moultrie has the build (6'11", 225 pounds) and the athleticism to be a lottery pick, but he'll ultimately fall out of it because of character concerns. If he stays committed and focused, though, he could pay off big for Houston.
17. Dallas Mavericks: Austin Rivers, SG, Duke
When Rivers entered the NCAA last year, he was expected to set records with his shooting prowess. He didn't change the world, but he was still pretty good. Now, he just needs to play with consistency and shore up his defense to excel at the next level.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Dion Waiters, PG/SG, Syracuse
Waiters is billed as a true scorer, yet he didn't dominate in the Big East last season. And the fact that he lacks a true position seems to be hurting him more than it's helping in this draft.
19. Orlando Magic: Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
The Magic, like the Rockets, really need some help up front, given the fact that Dwight Howard is on his way out of Orlando sooner rather than later. Leonard, though very raw, has lots of upside and athleticism.
20. Denver Nuggets: Tony Wroten Jr., PG, Washington
Wroten is kind of like a scaled-down Rivers in a way; he has the ability to be an excellent scoring point guard, but he needs to get more consistent and avoid playing out of control.
21. Boston Celtics: Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
The Celtics have needed a true center for a couple of seasons now; Melo is very raw—and a huge risk—but he's a true 7-footer and has enormous potential to be a defensive threat.
22. Boston Celtics: Jeffery Taylor, SF, Vanderbilt
Taylor is one of the more underrated shooters in this draft—he tallied 16.4 points per game for Vandy last season—and he's a good size for an NBA 2 and possesses elite athleticism.
23. Atlanta Hawks: Royce White, SF, Iowa State
It'll be a shame if White falls out of the first round because he has the raw skill and the potential to be a serious threat at the next level, but not if his anxiety disorder gets in the way of his development.
24. Cleveland Cavaliers: Quincy Miller, SF, Baylor
Miller is a big question mark because he was on his way to being a bona fide lottery selection before ACL surgery. Now, there's no way to know how much or how little it affected his play.
25. Memphis Grizzlies: Moe Harkless, SF, St. John's
As a freshman, Harkless made a big impact for St. John's, tallying 15.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in a very competitive year in the Big East. That certainly bodes well for his potential, despite the fact that he's a bit small at 6'8".
26. Indiana Pacers: Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky
Teague has quickness, elite athleticism and the ability to create offense for his superstar teammates. He could end up being one of the top point guards to emerge from this draft when all is said and done.
27. Miami Heat: John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
Jenkins is definitely small at 6'4", but he can really shoot: He tallied 19.9 points per game last season and could spearhead Miami's second-unit offense.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder: Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
What Nicholson lacks in length (he's 6'9", 222 pounds), he makes up for with a 7'4" wingspan and excellent rebounding and shot-blocking capabilities. If he falls to the bottom of the first round, don't expect OKC to pass on him.
29. Chicago Bulls: Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky
Lamb wasn't as much of a hype-magnet as his Kentucky teammates last season because he certainly wasn't the star of the show, but he was one of the most accurate shooters on the team, especially from long range.
30. Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green, SF, Michigan State
He might be the most undersized prospect on the board at 6'6", but scouts rave about his passing skills and his range.
