2012 NBA Redraft: How wrong we were in real time
By Corey Rausch
#12 Pick: Will Barton (Originally: Jeremy Lamb)
Making this pick for the Houston Rockets is tricky because ultimately this choice became a key part of the notorious James Harden trade. Looking at which player fit either scenario was not easy but Will Barton seems like the right call.
While he was unable to get much run in Portland behind fellow draftee Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum who came soon after he took off after heading to Denver at the 2015 NBA trade deadline. His first full season in Denver saw him play in every game and averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in only 28.7 minutes per game.
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Pairing Barton off the bench for the Thunder with Reggie Jackson would have been an interesting fit and would have given Oklahoma City a strong guard rotation in the post-Harden days. Lamb never hit his potential until he moved on from the Thunder but Barton has shown that he does better in more competitive situations.
Ultimately the change in this pick likely does not change much in overall impact but could have made the trade look slightly better for the Thunder in retrospect. If nothing else that is a small win for a move that has been lampooned for the better part of a decade.
With the 13th pick in the 2012 NBA Redraft the Phoenix Suns select…