NBA Draft 2012 Results: 10 Teams That Improved Most in Draft

With a few more days between us and the 2012 NBA Draft it's a bit easier to take a look back at it and really figure out what went down on Thursday.

There were few surprises in the draft, although there were a few reaches that elicited shock and confusion from the crowd, but for the most part the draft was frighteningly normal and even dull at times.

Seriously, who could have envisioned a night where Michael Jordan did the right thing. And if David Kahn wasn't involved there weren't going to be many fireworks anyway.

For the most part, the draft shook out roughly how people envisioned it would and quite a few teams got better on Thursday night.

However, the question remains; which team improved the most?

10. Oklahoma City Thunder

Draft Picks: Perry Jones III, Baylor

Sure, Perry Jones himself isn't going to improve the Oklahoma City Thunder much this season, but what they got in Perry Jones and the potential to transform him into a great player is huge improvement for the future.

The Thunder have two guys with Perry Jones' size, each with their own specialty. Kevin Durant is a dynamic offensive player, great at getting to the rack and taking his opponent to fat camp, while Serge Ibaka is a dynamic defensive player capable of swatting any shot that doesn't go at least eight feet over his head.

Should Perry Jones just learn from one of these guys he'll be a fine player, but if he gets Durant to teach him to score and Ibaka to teach him to block shots they could have another patented Oklahoma City steal with Jones.

9. Boston Celtics

Draft Picks: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State; Fab Melo, Syracuse; Kris Joseph, Syracuse

The Boston Celtics drafted one half of the best player in the draft with the 21st pick and then the other half of the best player in the draft with the 22nd pick.

Somehow Frankensteining Jared Sullinger together with Fab Melo would create a player who would be the best player in the draft. Unfortunately, they have one guy with all the skill and another with all the size.

However, what will happen should these two rub off on each other. If Sullinger learns some defensive intensity and Melo learns some post moves this could be a good frontcourt tandem for Boston coming off the bench.

8. Milwaukee Bucks

Draft Picks: John Henson, North Carolina; Doron Lamb, Kentucky

The Milwaukee Bucks didn't get many players in the draft, but they should be able to get a lot out of the guys they got.

John Henson, while skinny as a rail, is a premier shot blocker and can jump over a speeding train. He needs to bulk up, but even if he doesn't he should be able to use his athleticism to defend.

Meanwhile, they got Doron Lamb all the way in the second round. At the very least, Lamb will stand in the corner and shoot threes. At his peak, he could be Jason Terry 2.0.

7. Sacramento Kings

Draft Picks: Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Just one guy is coming to Sacramento after the 2012 Draft, but that one guy is going to help them more than they'll imagine.

Right away Robinson should be able to start alongside DeMarcus Cousins, bringing that motor to challenge Cousins to keep up with him.

Work ethic is contagious, and Thomas Robinson has enough of that to infect the entire NBA, let alone just the Sacramento Kings.

6. Portland Trail Blazers

Draft Picks: Damian Lillard, Weber St.; Meyers Leonard, Illinois; Will Barton, Memphis

The Portland Trail Blazers grabbed three risky players in the draft, but at some point it seems to be low risk-high reward for the new guys coming to town.

Damian Lillard is a guy who has been accused of being a score-first point guard, but that's only because he had to be at Weber State. The dude can pass, there's no doubt about that.

Meanwhile, Meyers Leonard, while a bit of a project, should be able to start by the time we roll over into the 2013 portion of the schedule. He needs some better instincts and some coaching, but that athleticism will allow him to hold his own.

Will Barton, while skinnier than Klay Thompson and Tayshaun Prince's love-child after a diet, is extremely athletic and able to get to the rim. Plus, there's a lot to be said about a 6'6" guy who weighs under a buck and three-quarters but still grabbed eight boards a game. That's a motor right there.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

Draft Picks: Dion Waiters, Syracuse; Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

Sure, we can lament the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers over-drafted Dion Waiters and overpaid for Tyler Zeller, but it's hard to argue that they didn't get better.

A Hollinger baby, Dion Waiters was proclaimed the best perimeter player in the draft by Hollinger and, "the best small wing since Dwyane Wade," statistically that is. It may not be hard and fast production, but it's never bad to be compared to Dwyane Wade.

Meanwhile in Tyler Zeller they grabbed a guy who should be able to stick around the league for a long time while rebounding and putting shots back in. Think of him as the league's new Jeff Foster now that Foster himself has retired.

4. Golden State Warriors

Draft Picks: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina; Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt; Draymond Green, Michigan State; Ognjen Kuzmic, Spain

The Golden State Warriors loaded up with value picks in the draft, and even had a bit of good luck from that San Antonio Spurs pick at No. 30.

First, however, they stole Harrison Barnes at No. 7, and this is a guy who would have been the number one pick had he entered the draft last season.

Meanwhile, they grabbed Festus Ezeli at 30, who just reeks of defensive presence even if he can't score the ball in the NBA. Plus, Draymond Green at No. 35 is a steal, as they're getting a guy who is professional until the end and can just do everything with some ability.

Great draft for the Warriors.

3. Washington Wizards

Draft Picks: Bradley Beal, Florida; Thomas Satoransky, Spain

The Wizards only got one guy who is going to be playing in the NBA this year, but he's going to be so good that he'll make them the third-most improved team on his own.

Beal is a good shooter and great at getting to the rim, but most of all he fills in a much-needed hole for the Wizards, as he gives them a shooting guard to pair with John Wall.

This team could actually be a sleeper in the Eastern Conference should they stay healthy and merge together well.

2. Houston Rockets

Draft Picks: Jeremy Lamb, UConn; Royce White, Iowa State; Terrence Jones, Kentucky

On the surface you could say that the Rockets didn't get any better than the Wizards or Warriors, but looking deeper at what these picks mean to the team then it seems that they did get better.

Lamb, White and Jones are all going to be good players in their own right. Lamb a good shooter at the very least, Jones a good scorer around the rim and White a constant enigma for teams to ponder, but they may not be Rockets by the time they reach that potential.

The Houston Rockets have pieces to a trade now, and those pieces could turn into a guy like Pau Gasol, Josh Smith or even Dwight Howard, should the winds change again and bring them back to sniffing around Orlando.

1. New Orleans Hornets

Draft Picks: Anthony Davis, Kentucky; Austin Rivers, Duke; Darius Miller, Kentucky

From the looks of it, the New Orleans Hornets have added Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers and Droopy to their roster. That can't be a bad thing now, can it?

What's not to like about the guys they got here. Sure, Austin Rivers could be poison to a young team, but Anthony Davis could be the antidote to Austin Rivers poison.

At the very least they have a franchise-changing big man and grabbed his buddy from Kentucky to make his transition to the NBA that much easier. 

New Orleans hit a home run with this one.

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