Re-Drafting the Top 5 Picks in the 2012 NBA Draft

The 2012 NBA Draft was an interesting one. It followed a 2011 class that, in hindsight, was a very memorable draft year. As a successor, the 2012 group falls a bit short of its predecessor, but is certainly not without some great hits.

The overall draft class lacks a bit of depth when it comes to role players, although there are a few good ones in the class. However, the headliners of the 2012 NBA Draft feature a handful of future Hall of Fame players, similarly to 2011.

The quality of those Hall of Fame players is arguably weaker than what the previous year had to offer, but there is an argument to be made that this class has at least two certified locks for enshrinement. Past that, there should be one individual who is very likely to get in and one who is a debatable entry.

The fifth player in this hypothetical re-draft of the top five picks is no slouch himself. While he will likely not be an inclusion into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, he does belong in the hall of very good.

The interesting part of this re-draft is where the new top five come from. Two of the players who were originally drafted within the top five of this class maintain their spot. However, two of the new additions can be seen as nothing but absolute steals in hindsight, given that they were both second-round picks.

1 New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans): Anthony Davis

Original Pick: Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans deserve a round of applause. When looking back at the 2010 NBA Draft and the 2011 class that followed, both lists had a different entry at the top spot than the player who had originally been selected there. That is not the case with the 2012 NBA Draft. The Pelicans nailed this pick.

Anthony Davis is the best player from this draft class and there should be little to no debate about that fact. While Davis may have fallen short of some of the lofty expectations put on him throughout his career, that has more to do with how highly his potential was viewed than him being an actual disappointment in any regard.

Davis was so unbelievably talented early in his career that some were bold enough to say he could give Tim Duncan a run for his money as the best power forward of all time. Those are the kind of lofty expectations that Davis will fall well short of. However, he has had a mighty fine career that will feature him as a future first ballot selection into the Hall of Fame.

With the Pelicans, Davis stacked up individual accolades like there was no tomorrow. He quickly asserted himself as a premier talent in the NBA. Davis’ athleticism allowed him to not only be a scoring threat, but an elite defender that was capable of affecting the game on both sides of the basketball court.

The only problem with his time on the Pelicans was the lack of considerable team success they had. Davis never really led the team to anything of major significance, but there is an argument to be made that it had much more to do with the Pelicans’ roster construction around Davis than his own individual failures.

Davis would eventually be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he was ready to shine under the bright lights of Hollywood. He teamed up with LeBron James in The City of Angels to help bring a championship to the organization in 2020.

At thirty-one years old, Davis is in the latter stages of his career. With some prominent injury concerns over the last few seasons, it should not be surprising to see him call it a career sooner than most.

That being said, Davis remains near the top of the league when it comes to individual talent. If he and James are able to win another championship before James’ eventual retirement, it will only strengthen Davis’ stranglehold on the top spot in this draft.

2 Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets): Damian Lillard

Original Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The Charlotte Hornets have a rough history of missing on their picks in the NBA Draft. This instance was no exception. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stuck around with the team for longer than expected, but he was yet another entry into the long list of mistakes for the Hornets. Given a do-over, Damian Lillard offers them a much better outcome than the alternative.

Lillard actually won the Rookie of the Year over Davis in the 2012-13 season for the Portland Trail Blazers. He went on to have an impressive career with the team.

On an individual level, Lillard firmly established himself as not only one of the best point guards in the league, but, at his best, one of the top ten talents in the NBA. He was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the NBA’s three-point evolution, asserting his presence as one of the game’s biggest threats from beyond the arc.

Lillard’s time in Portland did not deliver any major team success. They were a perennial playoff team, for the most part, but they peaked with a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

He was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where his first season as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s running mate was seen as a disappointment. Plenty would have thought that given the defensive attention that Giannis draws, Lillard was set for the easiest season of his career. Instead, he struggled with his efficiency while assuming the role of a secondary option.

Lillard has somewhat of an argument to push for the top spot of this list if he wins a championship in Milwaukee. Until then, that spot firmly belongs to Davis.

3 Washington Wizards: Draymond Green

Original Pick: Bradley Beal

Draymond Green has been a polarizing player throughout his career in the NBA. When looking back at his career, though, it is hard to make the argument that he would not be included in the Hall of Fame eventually.

Green was an integral part of the Golden State Warriors amid their dynastic run at the top. People will joke about him being ‘Mr. Triple-Single,’ but Green’s status as one of the best role players and defenders of all time should not be a laughing matter.

The accolades speak for themselves when it comes to his overall career. While some may be quick to discredit Green as a beneficiary of Stephen Curry’s success, it is hard to imagine the Warriors having the type of success that they did without Green’s role as a playmaker and defensive leader on those title-winning teams.

History will favor Green as one of the quintessential glue guys in NBA history. The fact that the Warriors managed to find him in the second round also makes him one of the biggest draft steals of all time.

4 Cleveland Cavaliers: Khris Middleton

Original Pick: Dion Waters

Khris Middleton is the second player to be featured among the top five picks in a re-draft who was originally selected in the second round. The Detroit Pistons threw him into a trade that sent him to the Bucks. It was there that Middleton would blossom into an All-Star and a key piece on a championship team.

Middleton was a bit of a late bloomer, really jumping out onto the scene in his fourth season as an 18+ points per game scorer. His secondary scoring and solid defense would be a big factor in the Bucks’ 2021 NBA championship.

Middleton averaged 23.6 points per game behind Antetokounmpo on route to the Bucks’ first title since 1971. His status as a champion gives him a slight edge over the fifth member of this re-draft.

5 Sacramento Kings: Bradley Beal

Original Pick: Thomas Robinson

The Sacramento Kings, like the Hornets, are another team with a rough draft history. The selection of Thomas Robinson at fifth is no exception to that. Getting Bradley Beal in a re-draft is a monumental upgrade over the original pick.

Beal has enjoyed a pretty solid career as one of the better shooting guards in the NBA. He has proven himself to be a talented scorer, averaging 31.3 points per game in his best season.

In a lot of other drafts, Beal could have a solid case for being placed higher in a re-draft than fifth. The lack of considerable team success for Beal plays a role in keeping him below the aforementioned names among this class.

Stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference.

Related

Redrafting the Top 5 Picks in the 2011 NBA Draft

The 2011 Draft Class has multiple Hall Of Fame players with a strong case to be the top pick in the class.