7 Former NBA Lottery Draft Picks Who Will Finally Step Up in 2013

There is nothing more frustrating than watching a lottery pick not live up to expectations. Luckily, these players are set to finally step up this season.

After failing to deliver on numerous promises to the teams that drafted them, these seven players are in a good situation to break through in 2012-2013. 

Whether they are late-bloomers or were just taken too early, these players have been a disappointment up to this point. The time has come to prove they were and are worthy of those high selections. 

Evan Turner

Drafted: Second Overall, 2010

After two years in Philadelphia, Evan Turner has not lived up the the expectations of a No. 2 overall pick. He has shown flashes of potential for the 76ers, and contributed to each of their past two playoff runs.

He showed minor improvement from year one to year two. The combo guard finished 2012 averaging 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game. He has been stuck playing on a team full of similar athletes, and that really sapped his playing time.

He has the potential to be the best player on the Philadelphia roster. With Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks leaving via free agency, there will be more time and shots to go around. He has gained a lot of experience the past two years, and with added responsibility, he will start to live up to where he was drafted. 

Marvin Williams

Drafted: Second Overall, 2005

Depending on how you look at it, Marvin Williams has had a solid NBA career. He has averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds over seven years. Still, for a former No. 2 overall pick, that seems like a bit of an underachievement.

This coming season, Williams will finally escape the unfulfilled promises in Atlanta when he takes the court for Utah. The trade away from the Hawks may end up being the best thing for Williams.

In Atlanta, he was always identified with that high draft pick and how he never developed into the star that he was supposed to.

In Utah, he gets a clean slate while remaining on a team that will be in playoff contention. He is still just 26 years old and still has time to live up to his potential. The starting role in Utah is his and he will be surrounded by a talented young frontcourt.

That will allow Williams to focus on his strengths and have the best season of his career.

Eric Gordon

Drafted: Seventh Overall, 2008

Eric Gordon has missed 107 games in his four-year NBA career. When he has been on the court, his production has been very good. Some would say he has lived up to the high draft position already.

However, because of his inconsistencies, he has not been completely as advertised.

He came fully into his own in 2010, averaging more than 22 points per game for the season and becoming one of the league's premier scorers. Then things came off the rails when he was dealt to New Orleans and played in just nine games last season.

This is the year that he will put it all together.

Gordon will have to accept his role as a leader on New Orleans and help to bring the young players along. He has all the potential in the world offensively, and he will certainly live up to his potential starting this year.

Gordon will get back on track and help the Hornets become the surprise team of the Western Conference.

Michael Beasley

Drafted: Second Overall, 2008

Much like Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley has produced at the level desired of a player drafted that high. However, it was for just one season. Otherwise, Beasley has been a crap shoot of production with inconsistencies across the board.

Just as quickly as he earned a starting job in the NBA and started posting totals consistent with a No. 2 overall pick, he lost the job and the production. He came off the bench in 40 games last season for Minnesota and scored just 11.5 points per game, after averaging nearly 20 a year before.

A change of scenery will do Beasley a lot of good. In Phoenix, he will have more opportunities to thrive in a versatile frontcourt. The Suns will allow Beasley to explore his vast potential and finally earn that incredibly lofty draft position.

Andrea Bargnani

Drafted: First Overall, 2006

When drafted with the No. 1 overall pick, more is expected of a player than scoring and rebounding. For a player to live up to that high a selection, they must become a leader on a good team. 

That is what Andrea Bargnani must do to live up to his 2006 draft spot. While he has been far from a bust in his six-year career, he has not exactly been a prototypical first overall pick.

He has only been a part of two playoff teams—neither of which were led by him. 

In 2012-2013, he will have a solid team lined up around him. Before missing most of last year, it appeared Bargnani was reaching his potential, scoring 21.4 points per game in the 2010 regular season. With added talent around him, the Raptors should contend for a playoff spot in the east.

If the team is able to make some noise in the postseason, Bargnani will have finally started to make good on those six-year-old promises.

Derrick Favors

Drafted: Third Overall, 2010

Drafting a stellar sixth-man with the third overall pick is not that bad. Just look at James Harden in Oklahoma City and where he was taken.

That is something that Derrick Favors can be for Utah. 

After two NBA seasons, it is still hard to look at Favors and see anything but a young and inexperienced man. At just 21 years old, he is a very young two-year veteran in the NBA. 

He has all the physical tools necessary to be the first man off the bench for the Jazz.

He can guard three positions with reasonable effectiveness and has been developing an offensive game to go with it. It will come as a surprise to no one to see his averages increase to a near double-double next season. Coming from the No. 3 overall pick, that kind of production off the bench is invaluable. 

Brandan Wright

Drafted: Eighth Overall, 2007

Brandan Wright was unable to fit in with Golden State or New Jersey. They were unsure how to utilize his unique blend of size and athleticism. 

With the Mavericks, Wright started showing bits and pieces of why he was chosen so early five years ago. In Dallas, he has been able to have free reign, and it worked fabulously. He started blocking shots again and began scoring at a very high percentage.

In just 16 minutes per game, Wright averaged seven points on 62 percent shooting. 

With the troublesome Lamar Odom out of the picture, Wright will see some increased minutes and have a better role model in Elton Brand. 

If the Mavericks are intent on letting Wright play freely, then it will be to their benefit. He is the type of instinctual athlete who takes little coaching. He will be able to help Dallas and in the process, live up to those lofty expectations of the No. 8 overall pick.