NBA Draft 2012: Ranking Top Small Forward Prospects in Incoming Draft Class

How do the small forwards stack up in the 2012 NBA draft? 

That's the question these rankings attempt to answer as we take a look at the top 10 players at the position going into Thursday night's festivities. 

Although there are some players from smaller schools, the traditional powerhouses dominate these rankings, led by Kentucky's three entrants. Yes, that's right. Three. 

You can also check out my previous rankings of the top 10 point guards and top 10 shooting guards.

10. Jae Crowder, Marquette

There's no easy way to describe the reigning Big East Player of the Year. He's quite the strange prospect. 

Jae Crowder doesn't make basketball look effortless, but rather physical with his non-stop energy and body-banging style of play. He's not tall, but he's brutally strong, physical and intelligent, more than enough to make up for his short-coming (pun intended). 

This small forward excels on the defensive end of the court, where he can guard multiple positions and absolutely terrorize passing lanes. 

Projection: Early-Mid Second Round

9. Darius Miller, Kentucky

Unlike Crowder, Darius Miller isn't a great defender. He got beat off the dribble far too often while he was in the process of helping win a championship for the Kentucky Wildcats. Miller has the physical tools to fix this; he just has to have the motivation. 

Offense is where Miller is at his best, using his impressive size to create mismatches at either shooting guard or small forward. 

While Miller is a good athlete and showed remarkable improvement off the dribble during a rare senior season under John Calipari, his go-to is always the spot-up jumper. When a pass hits him in the numbers and he has any space, he's going to make the shot. 

Projection: Early-Mid Second Round

8. Draymond Green, Michigan State

Draymond Green is a winner. There's simply no denying that. The versatile forward has everything you could ask for in the intangibles department, and should be a great glue guy in the NBA. 

His skill-set is far-reaching, with point guard-like passing skills, shooting guard-like shooting skills and center-like rebounding skills. Whatever role Green is asked to fill, he'll most likely thrive in it. 

With his 6'7" frame, Green will become a small forward at the next level, even though he's more than capable of filling in at power forward for brief spurts. 

Projection: Late First Round

7. Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

My highest-ranked (regardless of position) of the three potential first-rounders from Vanderbilt, Jeffery Taylor has moved past the part of his career in which he lacked confidence. Now, he's scoring points with his much-improved jumper and using his athleticism, which is potentially among the best in the class. 

Taylor will make his living as a top-notch perimeter defender, though. The small forward is not only quick, but he also employs great fundamentals while showing a true passion for slowing the opposition.

The offensive game is still a work in progress, as it is for most insane athletes who have always been able to get by simply by jumping over people.

Projection: Late First Round 

6. Quincy Miller, Baylor

A unique mismatch waiting to happen, Quincy Miller is going to make teams regret passing him up once he fully recovers from an ACL injury that hindered him throughout his one and only season with the Baylor Bears. 

Miller has two glaring weaknesses, and once those are fixed, he'll be unstoppable. Then again, it's more of an "if" than a "once." 

The one-and-done forward stands 6'10" and only 219 pounds, so he desperately needs to add some strength to his frame in the form of muscle. Packing on a few pounds shouldn't force him to lose his athleticism. 

Moreover, Miller's jumper isn't exactly a strength, but it needs to become one. 

Projection: Late First Round

5. Royce White, Iowa State

Royce White is another small forward prospect who doesn't really make sense. I'm choosing to list him as a small forward because I think his versatility dictates that he line up there during his NBA career, even though he's definitely big and strong enough to play power forward. 

The Iowa State prospect often ran the show for the Cyclones, and even though he won't be asked to do that in The Association, he does still have the ball-handling skills and the passing chops necessary to become one of the best facilitating forwards in the game. 

White is also a great scorer and rebounder, even if his defense is lackluster at best. Unless his anxiety flares up again, White is going to be a big steal this year. 

Projection: Mid-Late First Round

4. Moe Harkless, St. John's

As we move up to Moe Harkless, we're now within the top 20 of my overall rankings. 

Harkless was a bit of a surprise entry into the 2012 NBA draft after just one season at St. John's, but he's proving that he's got the tools to succeed at the sport's highest level and continues to climb the boards. It wasn't too long ago that he was projected to go in the middle of the second round. 

The small forward is a great athlete and has lighting-quick hands on defense, but his offensive game is limited to transition plays and alley-oops at the moment. He can do a bit more than that, but his jumper doesn't work too well and he's sloppy with the ball. 

Harkless needs to work on his ball-handling first and foremost, and then continue to get experience as he makes the necessary transition from raw talent to polished player. 

Projection: Mid First Round

3. Terrence Jones, Kentucky

Terrence Jones is another player who I could have listed at power forward, but his versatility and court vision make me think of him as a small forward more than a 4. 

Jones used to try to go to his left every time and bull-rush towards the rim. He developed quite a few more offensive moves during his second season in Lexington even if he didn't have the season everyone was expecting. 

This forward's speciality is defense, though. He has all the potential in the world to become one of the best players in the NBA on that end of the floor. His physicality lets him body up and his quickness enables him to stay in front of anyone he guards.

Projection: Mid First Round-Lottery 

2. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Harrison Barnes is a lottery lock thanks to his pretty jump-shot that makes even grown men swoon. The rest of his offensive game isn't too bad either, even if he struggles to create his own shot and would be much better off playing with a point guard who can do that for him. 

The former North Carolina Tar Heel is a capable ball-handler, but he's at his best when he's not forced to dribble more than one time. If he puts the ball on the floor a few times and looks to pass, hold your breath, because good things might not happen. 

Barnes is one of the worst passing small forward prospects in years and has very limited court vision. It's a true testament to his shot that he's ranked so high despite his flaws. 

Projection: Lottery-Top 5

1. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

The best small forward in this class, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is also the best prospect not named Anthony Davis, regardless of position. 

A do-it-all-except-shoot player, MKG is too multitalented to flop at the next level. He'll fail to become a superstar if he doesn't develop a consistent jumper, but he can fill any other role. 

The former Kentucky Wildcat is just devastating in transition, a tenacious rebounder and a true lockdown defender, capable of making an immediate impact on both ends of the court and in all facets of the game. He's another guy with an unfair level of intangibles as well. 

Projection: Lottery-Top 5