Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for All 30 First-Round NBA Draft Picks

During a normal NBA season, you don't know what you are going to get from NBA rookies. Most of the time those "can't miss" guys who dominated in college usually end up missing.

Things will be different this season. With a shortened training camp and practically no exhibition season, it's going to be interesting to see how some of the rookies transition to the NBA game.

Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios for all 30 first-round picks.

1. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Best Case: Irving takes over for Ramon Sessions as the starting point guard and begins what could be an outstanding NBA career.

Worst Case: He can't pass up Sessions on the depth chart and really doesn't make an impact for the Cavs during his rookie season.

2. Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves

Best Case: The Wolves trade Michael Beasley and create the necessary minutes for Williams right off the bat. He's a guy that can make an impact, but needs the floor time to do so.

Worst Case: Minnesota holds on to Beasley and Williams spends most of the season coming off the bench. The Timberwolves are one of the few teams in the league with a very deep frontcourt and Williams won't make nearly the impact he should coming off the bench.

3. Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz

Best Case: The Jazz like Kanter a lot and he has a ton of upside. He's a big man that can score in the paint as well as step out and knock down the 15-footer. He's slotted behind Al Jefferson at the moment but his play could force the Utah to move Jefferson and get him into the lineup quicker.

Worst Case: Not every European big man turns out to be Dirk Nowitzki. In fact, most turn out to be more like Darko Milicic. Kanter could struggle in the post early forcing the Jazz to keep Jefferson and could eventually get buried on the Utah bench.

4. Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers

Best Case: Antawn Jamison stands in his way for minutes off the bat, but his expiring contract is a good trade chip come the trade deadline. Thompson can slowly learn a feel for the NBA game and by midseason be ready for an increased role in the Cavs lineup.

Worst Case: At 6-foot-9, Thompson lacks size and while he does have a decent post game, he's going to have to refine the rest of his game. He could struggle early and get buried on the Cleveland bench.

5. Jonas Valančiūnas, Toronto Raptors

Best Case: There is no time table for him to reach the NBA, but the 19-year old Lithuanian has a lot of work to do still before winding up in Toronto. Best case scenario is he gets his game NBA ready and arrives in Toronto next year.

Worst Case: He takes longer than expected to evolve and it could take a long time to make his NBA debut.

6. Jan Vesely, Washington Wizards

Best Case: Vesely gets healthy and and shows the ability to attack the rim and shoot the jumper, which needs some work. If everything goes well, he could take a bunch of minutes away from Rashard Lewis by midseason.

Worst Case: Vesely is dealing with a hip injury that has him way behind the other Wizards in camp at the moment. He has some catching up to do both from a conditioning standpoint and learning head coach Flip Saunders system. He may never get fully caught up this season and could end up riding the Wizards bench for the majority of the season.

7. Bismack Biyombo, Charlotte Bobcats

Best Case: His contract situation is resolved so Biyombo will be wearing a Bobcats uniform this season.When he's on the floor, he could turn into a rebounding and blocked shot machine.

Worst Case: He's very raw and his lack of an offensive game could eventually land him on the bench where he would become nothing but a bench warmer.

8. Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons

Best Case: The Pistons have confidence in Knight and could become the guy running the Pistons offense for 2012 and beyond.

Worst Case: Detroit also re-signed Rodney Stuckey and if his game continues to evolve, it could turn out to be him and not Knight who gets the keys to the offense and Knight would become nothing more than a role player for the time being.

9. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats

Best Case: Walker is in a great spot going to one of the lowest scoring teams in the NBA. He will be asked to shoulder most of the scoring load and wins the Rookie of the Year in the process.

Worst Case: He struggles from the floor in the NBA and is regulated to backup duty behind D.J. Augustine for the entire season. No Rookie of the Year award and very little production for the Bobcats.

10. Jimmer Fredette, Sacramento Kings

Best Case: Fredette gets significant minutes in a good young Sacramento backcourt and plays a big role in the Kings improvement.

Worst Case: The Kings stick with a starting backcourt that features Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton and Fredette gets buried on the bench and is just part of a deep Sacramento rotation.

11. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Best Case: Between Stephen Curry's ankle and Monta Ellis' potential legal problems, there could be a good possibility that Thompson benefits the most. He should see increased minutes and could turn into the Warriors top bench piece this season.

If Thompson is good enough, it could even make Ellis expendable as the Warriors desperately need a quality big man to pair with David Lee.

Worst Case: Curry and Ellis continue on their path to become one of the best young backcourts in the game and eat up a majority of the minutes. If Thompson isn't performing well, he could get lost on the bench.

12. Alec Burks, Utah Jazz

Best Case: He continues to impress and can eat into Raja Bell's minutes as a backup. Burks is also competing with Gordon Hayward at the position so he won't crack the starting lineup anytime soon, but could become a valuable bench piece.

Worst Case: Burks is stuck third on the depth chart at shooting guard and sees very limited minutes.

13. Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns

Best Case: Morris capitalizes off a pair of strong showings in the preseason and carries it into the regular season. He won't pass up Channing Frye as the starter, but he could eat into Hakim Warrick's minutes as a reserve.

Worst Case: Similar to Burks, he could get buried on the bench as the third power forward on the Suns roster. If he struggles out of the gate, major minutes could be hard to come by.

14. Marcus Morris, Houston Rockets

Best Case: Morris serves as the primary backup to both Luis Scola at the 4 and Chase Buddinger at the 3. He will get good minutes and make an impact right away.

Worst Case: He struggles out of the gate and Kevin McHale is forced to turn to other options meaning Morris is riding the bench for most of the season.

15. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Best Case: If Richard Jefferson's production continues to trend down, Leonard could replace him sooner rather than later as the Spurs starting small forward.

Worst Case: Spurs head coach Greg Popovich sticks with the veteran Jefferson all season and Leonard's minutes and production are limited.

16. Nikola Vucevic, Philadelphia 76ers

Best Case: Vucevic picks up on things better than he is at the moment and proves to be a solid insurance policy for starting center Spencer Hawes.

Worst Case: He keeps looking lost and Sixers head coach Doug Collins limits his minutes, making the 2011-12 season a lost one for Vucevic.

17. Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks

Best Case: Shumpert continues to impress at both ends of the floor and supplants Landry Fields as the starting shooting guard sometime during the season.

Worst Case: Fields' second season is better than his first and the Stanford grad holds off the charge from Shumpert. With a suddenly deep backcourt that now also has veterans Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, Knicks head coach could elect to use Toney Douglas at the 2-guard spot more often.

That would likely mean Shumpert would be D'Antoni's fifth guard and minutes could be scarce.

18. Chris Singleton, Washington Wizards

Best Case: Singleton is a great defender so any meaningful minutes may come when the Wizards need stops. The Wizards have a logjam at forward and with Singleton's limited offensive repertoire at the moment, that may be as good as it gets.

Worst Case: Because he struggles putting the ball on the floor and can really only hit open jumpers, head coach Flip Saunders may be very hesitant to use him since he has other options. Singleton could turn into a spectator all season.

19. Tobias Harris, Milwaukee Bucks

Best Case: He's just getting back to action after being hospitalized with dehydration. He needs to get back into the swing of things and while he may not have much of a role early, he could eventually get some minutes as the backup small forward behind Carlos Delfino

Worst Case: He could be catching up all season long and may end up being nothing more than a depth piece during his rookie season.

20. Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets

Best Case: He won't play in the NBA this season, but maybe he will opt out of his contract next season to join the Rockets. He's a 7-footer with 3-point range and given the lack of quality big men in Houston, there could be an opportunity.

Worst Case: He plays for Asseco Prokom in Poland a lot longer than planned and keeps the Rockets playing the waiting game.

21. Nolan Smith, Portland Trail Blazers

Best Case: Smith wins the backup point guard spot behind Raymond Felton and contributes throughout the season.

Worst Case: Armon Johnson keeps the backup job and Smith doesn't get many meaningful minutes and his production is insignificant.

22. Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

Best Case: He's not expected to get many minutes after the Nuggets re-signed Nene, but if he impresses and plays above the rim the way he has in the preseason, he may force George Karl into giving him minutes.

Worst Case: It's a learning year for Faried as the watches from the bench all season. 

23. Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls

Best Case: Mirotic takes his time before coming to the NBA since Chicago has a pretty deep frontcourt at the moment.

Worst Case: He comes to the NBA too soon and is buried on the bench his entire career.

24. Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder

Best Case: He's sitting behind Russell Westbrook, Eric Maynor and possibly others on the Oklahoma City depth chart. An injury is the only likely way Jackson plays a significant role for this team.

Worst Case: He has very little role this year and is just a depth piece with an eye towards the future.

25. Marshon Brooks, New Jersey Nets

Best Case: Brooks can fill it up and even though he's behind Anthony Morrow on the depth chart for now, the Nets may need his scoring punch and can shoot his way into more minutes.

Worst Case: Not too much downside with Brooks. The only thing that can keep him from getting some decent minutes this season is a solid season from Morrow, otherwise at worst Brooks is a good option off the bench.

26. Jordan Hamilton, Denver Nuggets

Best Case: With Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith currently playing in China, Hamilton cracks the regular rotation and can be used as a backup at both the 2 and the 3.

Worst Case: Smith and Chandler return from China in March and Hamilton gets buried on the bench.

27. JaJuan Johnson, Boston Celtics

Best Case: Even though Boston's frontcourt is thin, Johnson can take this season to use as a learning experience so he can be more ready for next season.

Worst Case: Johnson is forced into duty and struggles and never regains the confidence needed to have success in the NBA.

28. Norris Cole, Miami Heat

Best Case: He's created a buzz in Miami and could turn into the starting point guard for the Heat.

Worst Case: He can't overtake Mario Chalmers for the starting spot, but still makes a valuable contribution to Miami off the bench.

29. Cory Joseph, San Antonio Spurs

Best Case: He takes the limited minutes he's going to get as a backup to both Tony Parker and T.J. Ford as pint guard for the Spurs.

Worst Case: He's asked to play too much too soon, something he's not ready for.

30. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls

Best Case: Butler is a project but he's in a good spot in Chicago. He was a good scorer, rebounder and defender in college and can contribute off the bench for the Bulls.

Worst Case: He struggles to pick up things at the NBA level and sees less and less minutes as the season goes on.