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Re-doing the 2012 NBA Draft: Andre Drummond at No. 2

By now it's clear the Detroit Pistons got an absolute steal by drafting Andre Drummond with the ninth overall pick of the 2012 draft. But how much of a steal?

By Matt Watson
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's David Thorpe suggests Andre Drummond would go as high as No. 2 behind Anthony Davis (who went first in real life, as well) if NBA GMs were granted a do-over in his ranking of the top 20 sophomores ($$):

2. Andre Drummond, Pistons

Drummond is almost Davis' equal as a player if we look only at his impact in the half court, where his size and agility continue to remind people of Shaq. He simply dominates in the paint by having the proper mindset, which is to force opponents to deal with his big body in front of the rim all game long.

He'd be even more effective if his teammates looked for him more often, which they will learn to do with more film study and coaching. This will result in better production for Drummond and the Pistons as the season unfolds.

Drummond is not the full-court threat Davis is, but he is one of the top rebounding centers in the game today and will compete for All-NBA honors at center for the next decade.

The rest of his rankings:

  1. Damian Lillard (POR)
  2. Jared Sullinger (BOS)
  3. Terrence Jones (HOU)
  4. John Henson (MIL)
  5. Bradley Beal (WAS)
  6. Patrick Beverley (HOU)
  7. Jonas Valanciunas (TOR)
  8. Miles Plumlee (PHO)
  9. Andrew Nicholson (ORL)
  10. Harrison Barnes (GSW)
  11. Tony Wroten (PHI)
  12. Jae Crowder (DAL)
  13. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (CHA)
  14. Jeremy Lamb (OKC)
  15. Draymond Green (GSW)
  16. Brian Roberts (NOP)
  17. Mo Harkless (ORL)
  18. Thomas Robinson (POR)

The list doesn't mean anything, of course, except serve as yet another reminder that it's nearly impossible to guess which players will emerge at the next level -- I remember drooling over the likes of MKG and Robinson, and I probably would have swapped Drummond for Valanciunas (who fifth overall in 2011 -- he played another year in Europe before coming over) on draft day. Needless to say, things worked out.

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