Okay, so I decided to do a little project today – creating my own 2012 NBA mock draft. It’s something I’ve always found fun, trying to predict how things will shake out.
I started by pulling up the actual 2012 NBA draft order. Gotta have that as the foundation, right? Then I started digging into old scouting reports and player profiles from that time. It’s kind of like being an archaeologist, unearthing old opinions and projections.
My Process
- First, research that good stuff, the base data.
- Then I formed team needs.
- After that, I combined it all.
I spent some time looking at mock drafts. See how wrong I was compared to other people.
Then, I started putting together my own mock draft, team by team. I tried to balance each team’s needs at the time with the best players available, at least according to my research and gut feeling. It’s all subjective, of course, but that’s part of the fun.
For example, everybody knew Anthony Davis was going number one. No-brainer. But after that? Things got interesting. I spent a good chunk of time debating who the Charlotte Bobcats (remember them?) would take at number two. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Thomas Robinson? I went back and forth, reading different takes, before finally settling on MKG.
I worked my way down the draft board, making picks and trying to justify each one. It’s funny to look back at some of the players who were highly touted back then and see how their careers actually panned out. Some were hits, some were misses, and some were just…meh.
After going through all the picks (at least the lottery, I’m not crazy enough to do the whole thing!), I compared my mock draft to some of the others that were out there at the time. It’s always interesting to see how different people viewed the same prospects.
Finally, I looked at the real 2012 draft results to see how I did. Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not an NBA general manager! It’s tough to predict the future, especially when it comes to young basketball players. But it was a fun exercise, and a cool way to revisit a specific moment in NBA history.
