2012 NBA Redraft: How wrong we were in real time
By Corey Rausch
#19 Pick: Meyers Leonard (Originally: Andrew Nicholson)
As you know from earlier a lot of my picks involved with the four-team trade will be made hoping that trade does not happen. It is the rare trade that no one won so I would rather it did not happen. I am operating under the assumption that Dwight Howard is not on the team anymore but neither is Vucevic.
Given the above-referenced imaginary scenario, I am going with Meyers Leonard for the Magic. They would need a young center to groom in a scenario where neither of the aforementioned big men are on the roster and Leonard fits the bill.
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Leonard has never been given a major opportunity, maxing out at 21.9 minutes per game in his fourth season. Orlando would be a lower pressure situation and given how they were able to develop Vucevic it is easy to see how this situation could benefit Leonard as well.
His career per-36 minute numbers are 12.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Obviously this statistic is not without its flaws but it does show that if Leonard was given a chance to get more minutes, take his lumps and grow he could have been a much more successful player than he was given the chance to be in limited opportunities in Portland.
With the 20th pick in the 2012 NBA Redraft the Denver Nuggets select…