2012 NBA Draft Picks: Biggest Steals and Reaches from Last Night

The 2012 NBA draft has come and gone, and now it is time to figure out exactly what it meant, how it will impact the upcoming season and the future of the league.

One of the clearest ways to do this is looking at which teams squandered their picks by getting desperate and taking an unworthy prospect too early. On the other side of that are smart GMs who waited for value to fall to them and pounced.

Let’s take a look at some of the most egregious incidents in both categories.

Steals

Jared Sullinger

The Boston Celtics addressed a major need at No. 21 by selecting the Ohio State power forward.

With Kevin Garnett’s future in Boston uncertain, and time left in the league limited, Beantown had to get younger and nab a potential star with one of their two first-round picks.

Sullinger definitely has the potential for stardom, even with his medically red-flagged back.

Thomas Robinson

It’s not often a team can consider the No. 5 overall draft pick a steal, but Robinson is an absolute beast and would have gone No. 1 overall in most other draft classes.

Based on a combination of talent and team needs (mostly the latter) ahead of them, the Sacramento Kings were able to land arguably the second-best player in the class at a position they should not have.

He’s a hard worker who will make an instant impact and help end the rebuilding effort in SacTown.

Reaches

Dion Waiters

Considering that Waiters was generally thought to be a mid-round pick at the end of the season, it’s crazy that the Cleveland Cavaliers reached for him at No. 4 overall.

Robinson, Harrison Barnes and even Austin Rivers were still on the board and considered by many to be more solid prospects who would have filled a need for the Cavs.

Waiters did not do anything that significant during the offseason to boost his stock this high, and his talent will not exceed his draft position.

Miles Plumlee

This might be the most ridiculous first-round pick of the draft. The Pacers took Plumlee at No. 26 overall, despite his terrible numbers at Duke during his senior year.

He’d be a fine second-round pick, but there were still guys like Marquis Teague, Perry Jones III and Arnett Moultrie on the board when Indiana made this pick.

It’s a poor decision, and they will regret it when this young man is riding the pine in the D-League.