NBA Draft 2012 Grades: Lottery Teams That Deserve Top Marks
Some lottery teams got it right early on in the 2012 NBA Draft. Others, not so much.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers' selection of Dion Waiters at No. 4 and the New Orleans Hornets' decision to bring in Austin Rivers were both questionable, plenty of general managers in the lottery clearly did their homework.
At first glance, it appears that a lot of teams did exactly what they needed to do and deserve a top grade, as far as the early picks go.
Let's take a look at which teams did the very best to get their draft started.
Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal
After trading for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, all the Wizards needed for a complete starting lineup was a shooting guard.
Bradley Beal is that shooting guard.
He'll have to compete for minutes with Jordan Crawford, but Beal is easily the more complete player. He's a tremendous scorer from everywhere on the court, he plays good defense and he has an NBA-ready body.
The Wizards did good to fill their biggest obvious hole. Beal and John Wall playing together on the fast break is going to be very scary.
Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson
When Thomas Robinson fell to this spot, it became the biggest no-brainer besides Anthony Davis to the Hornets. But just because it's an easy pick doesn't mean the Kings shouldn't get a good grade.
They always wanted Robinson; it just never looked like he would fall to them. But when the Cavs took Dion Waiters, the Kings' wish came true.
Robinson doesn't have a sky-high ceiling, but he's an incredibly hard worker, he has good range on his jump shot and he rebounds very well.
Robinson will be able to contribute right away, and next to DeMarcus Cousins, he'll be crazy effective. The former Kansas star is a good Rookie of the Year candidate.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard
With Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge in place, The Portland Trail Blazers just needed to draft a point guard and a center.
Well, they did just that, grabbing Lillard and Leonard.
The Big L's are extremely impressive talents on the offensive end. Lillard is terrific off the pick-and-roll. He'll continue to score at a high rate and will help LaMarcus Aldridge. Leonard, on the other hand, is a bit of a project, but he's a unique big man with athleticism.
The Blazers did a great job.
Other Teams That Did Well
I also like what the Golden State Warriors (Harrison Barnes), Toronto Raptors (Terrence Ross), Detroit Pistons (Andre Drummond) and Houston Rockets (Jeremy Lamb) did.
Told you a lot of teams in the lottery did well.
