NBA Draft 2012: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Impresses Late In NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament is nearly over, and we've learned a lot about potential NBA prospects. Here's my snap draft board for the Wizards. Keep in mind: I've watched a lot of these guys recently, but certainly haven't watched as much as NBA scouts or others who study this more.

TIER 1

1. Anthony Davis: Cemented his status with another strong performance against Baylor, even despite injury. The thing that's amazing about Davis is that, for someone who swats so many shots, his foul rate is absurdly low. What happened against Indiana was an anomaly. A potential game-changing talent at the power forward position.

TIER 2

2. Thomas Robinson: Watching Robinson rebound is a thrill. Not only does he do such a great job of carving out position, but he also reads the ball off the rim so well. Combine that intelligence with his explosive leaping ability, especially on the second jump, and you get someone who should average double-digit rebounds on the next level without any problems. Given the Wizards' rebounding issues up front, that kind of production is needed. The only reason I've dropped him into a tier with a couple other players is that he still struggles finishing around the rim.

3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Two outstanding performances propels MKG up my board. He's not a good shooter, but he has decent form and I think he's too good of a weakside rebounder to just leave alone. He's so strong and so good around the basket, so I'm confident he'll find ways to score even without a jumper. He's also a tremendous defender and an incredible finisher in the open floor -- a stunning 71 percent of his transition opportunities are finished. I know he's not an ideal fit offensively, but his talent and defensive intensity will be tough to pass up.

4. Bradley Beal: Struggled in crunch time against Louisville, but dominated against Marquette and was otherwise outstanding against the Cardinals. He created all the good shots, showing great explosiveness getting to the rim. He just couldn't finish. Him dropping below Kidd-Gilchrist is more about Kidd-Gilchrist. I still think he's the perfect fit alongside John Wall. (More on Beal from me here).

TIER 3

5. Jared Sullinger: Is having a fantastic NCAA Tournament, and while I still worry about whether his athleticism will translate on the next level, it's hard to ignore his production. Has a lot of skill for a big man, so I can see him succeeding well in pick and pops on the next level. I would like to see him get more involved off the ball when teams are playing man-to-man defense. Set some screens to free shooters, etc.

6. Terrence Jones: I can see the drawbacks, but given his combination of size, playmaking and defense, he's a tough guy to pass up this high.

7. Cody Zeller: Played really well against Anthony Davis, which impressed the heck out of me. Real solid big man that can score on NBA athletes and does a lot of little things that help you win. He may not come out this year, but I think he's as good as his brother, and younger.

8. John Henson: A little skinny, but he's also long, athletic and has a really good jump shot. I could see him succeeding as a stretch four at the next level.

9. Andre Drummond: By default, really, because as much as he struggled this year, he's still young, big and has a ton of defensive potential. Many of his issues are his fault, but many are because he went to a school that didn't feature him.

10. Harrison Barnes: You don't want to make too much from a couple games, but Barnes' performance against Ohio and Kansas confirm many of my concerns about him. Can Barnes get to the basket? The answer was no, with the exception of a couple late drives against the Jayhawks. Can he create good shots? The answer was no. Is he a good enough shooter to prosper just from distance? The answer was no. Why couldn't he step up when his point guard got hurt? It's a really good question that makes you wonder. Is he a decent team player and defender? Sure, but so are Beal and Kidd-Gilchrist. I'm very concerned about his pro prospects going forward.

What were your impressions of the top prospects in the 2012 NCAA Tournament?