10 2012 1st-Round NBA Rookies with the Most to Prove in Their First Season

The 2012 NBA draft class is sure to be a good one, with talent littered all over the first round.

While some come into the league with decorated college careers, others are under a lot of pressure due to draft position, an inconsistent college resume or issues off the court.

While many rookies will be under the microscope from NBA fans and team personnel alike, none will face the scrutiny that these following ten will endure.

10. Meyers Leonard, C

Draft Position: 11th overall

Team: Portland Trail Blazers

Leonard faces pressure for a number of reasons.

Only starting one season at Illinois, many question whether or not Leonard is even ready for the NBA game.  Already possessing great size at 7'1" and 245 pounds, Leonard is still just 20 years old and very raw.

Anther reason that's not especially fair to Leonard is that he faces the expectation of filling the role that Greg Oden never did.  Oden was the first overall draft pick by Portland in 2007—over Kevin Durant—and spent most of his time on the trainers table.

Leonard has the most potential of any Blazer big man since Oden, and should be under close watch as he hopes to break the Blazers curse of bad luck at center.

9. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF

Draft Position: 2nd overall

Team: Charlotte Bobcats

While not a lot is expected from the Bobcats as a team this season, Kidd-Gilchrist faces pressure being the second overall player taken in the entire draft.

Coming off a seven win season, many expected Charlotte to take Kansas big man Thomas Robinson, because of the questions surrounding Kidd-Gilchrist's jump shot and overall offensive game.

While he's already a premier defender with a great motor, some doubted if MKG would ever turn into a star a team could build around or if his ceiling was a great role player.

Kidd-Gilchrist has to prove that he can be a player that a team can build around and not just the next Gerald Wallace.  If he can turn the Bobcats into a playoff team, he'll certainly prove worthy of being the No. 2 pick.

8. Andre Drummond, C

Draft Position: 9th overall

Team: Detroit Pistons

Even before enrolling at UConn many experts were predicting Drummond to eventually be a No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

At 6'10" with crazy hops, Drummond looked like he could be the next Dwight Howard with his size and athleticism.  He showed this athleticism even before the first game while competing in a UConn player-only dunk contest.

With all his tools and abilities, Drummond should have dominated college basketball, except, he didn't.

A very average freshman year that saw him record 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game resulted in a fall in the draft, from what was once expected to be a top three pick all the way down to No. 9.

The good news now for Drummond is that he won't have to be 'the man" right away on the Pistons being paired with Greg Monroe down low.

Drummond should be hungry to prove that he deserved to be drafted higher and that he can live up to the extraordinary potential he exhibited going into college.

7. Damian Lillard, PG

Draft Position: 6th overall

Team: Portland Trail Blazers

One of the most dynamic, but lesser known, players in the entire class, Lillard should be one of the top favorites for 2012-2013 Rookie of the Year.

Not making his college fame at Duke or North Carolina, Lillard instead played at Weber State University in Utah.

While the competition he faced wasn't always the best, his eye-popping statistics seemed to make up for it.  During his senior year with the Wildcats, Lillard put up 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

While his college career was great, it's a big difference going from playing Sacramento State to the Sacramento Kings.

Lillard must prove that his stats weren't just the product of poor competition and that he truly belongs at the highest level of basketball.

6. Jared Sullinger, PF

Draft Position: 21st overall

Team: Boston Celtics

Perhaps no one hurt their draft stock more in a period of one year than Sullinger.

A First Team All-American as a freshman, Sullinger led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 32-2 record before eventually falling to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

Had he declared for the 2011 draft, there is no doubt Sullinger would have been a top five pick.

Instead, the Columbus native came back for his sophomore year and while it was another successful one, a deeper draft class and concerns over his back saw Sully fall all the way to pick No. 21.

This fall from grace from potential franchise centerpiece to backup forward should prove to be enough motivation for Sullinger going forward.  He should be out to prove that all the medical concerns surrounding him were for naught and that he deserved to be drafted much higher.

5. Harrison Barnes, SF

Draft Position: 7th overall

Team:  Golden State Warriors

Coming out of high school in 2010, Barnes was the No. 1 ranked basketball player by Scout.com.

Two years later, Barnes has seen his share of highs and lows at North Carolina; enjoying a nice career. but never living up to his high school ranking.

Like Sullinger, Barnes hurt his draft stock by returning for his sophomore year, as he could have gone as high as first or second overall in the 2011 draft.

Once thought to be the best player in his class, Barnes was often overshadowed by his own teammates and struggled mightily in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Landing on a young, up-and-coming team like the Warriors should be good for Barnes. However, he should start playing right away while still having talented teammates around him.

Barnes must prove he is as good as originally thought, and that his poor tournament performance was just a fluke.

4. Perry Jones III, PF

Draft Position: 28th overall

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

One of the most athletic players in the draft, Jones fell hard in the draft due to the combination of an average college career, a question about position and a nagging knee injury.

Thanks to all of this, the Thunder happily scooped up who could be the steal of the draft—in almost the second round.

Playing with an inconsistent motor at Baylor, it's still unclear whether Jones will be a small or power forward in the NBA.  His size is that of a four, but his athletic and leaping ability resembles a three.

Questioning a players motor and work ethic is one of the most insulting questions a professional athlete can be asked.  Jones took possibly the farthest fall in the draft and needs to prove he does have a high motor and can live up to his physical talents to be a star in the league.

3. Royce White, SF/PF

Draft Position: 16th overall

Team: Houston Rockets

Perhaps the most interesting man in the draft, White is a solid all-around player who is capable of playing four different positions on the court.

An admitted fear of flying and an anxiety disorder were rumored to keep White out of the top of the draft, despite all of his physical skills. 

Draft day for White was an interesting one, as he chose to watch back at Iowa State and spent most of the time away from the crowd that gathered, instead he stayed with his close family and coaches.

As evidenced in the video link above, there were many teams in the first round that wanted nothing to do with White and were too concerned about all of his off-the-court issues.

White is clearly an interesting and well-spoken individual, but dealing with the anxiety that comes with playing professional sports and multi-weekly plane flights might hinder what would otherwise be a very promising career.

White must prove he can handle his disorder and learn to cope with his fear of flying, so that he can reach his high level potential.

2. Dion Waiters, SG

Draft Position: 4th overall

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Widely regarded as the biggest reach of the draft, Waiters has done nothing so far to combat this theory.

Showing up to the NBA Summer League 10 pounds overweight, Waiters struggled with his shot and finished with 12.3 points per game on only 30 percent shooting.

He also called a timeout late in a game when Cleveland had none, passing blame that no one told him they were out.

It's safe to say Waiters has a lot to prove.

Couple in passing on Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson and Austin Rivers in favor of Waiters, and Cavs fans were questioning the pick the moment commissioner David Stern called his name.

Waiters is a bulldog of a player and can score from anywhere on the floor, but being dubbed as the biggest reach in the draft means he has a lot to prove.

1. Anthony Davis, PF/C

Draft Position: 1st overall

Team: New Orleans Hornets

The crown jewel of the 2012 draft, Davis has been heralded as a mixture between Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby.

A national champion with the Kentucky Wildcats last year, Davis only spent one year at college while dominating on the defensive end.

Even though he'll almost certainly enjoy a long and successful career, Davis does bring his share of concerns.

At 6'10" but only 220 pounds, Davis may get pushed around by the bigger, stronger post players in the league. The NBA is much more physical than college with more one-on-one defense, something that could test Davis's defensive dominance.

There's also the pressure of taking over as the star of the Hornets, a spot Chris Paul held for years while becoming the league's best point guard.

Davis was so dominant in college that it's hard to imagine him being anything but great on a basketball court. So, even if he's very good, he could be viewed as a disappointment.

Being the first overall pick, and with the highest expectations out of any other player in the draft, Davis will also have the most to prove in the pros.