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NBA Draft 2014: A history of the 12th overall pick

Recent history suggests the Magic may find a solid contributor with their second first-rounder in June.

Steven Adams
Steven Adams
Chris Covatta

The Orlando Magic learned Tuesday that, as expected, their WoNK selection in the 2014 NBA Draft landed at 12th overall. The WoNK comes in addition to Orlando's own pick, fourth overall.

Given that news, we thought it appropriate to offer this look back at the five most recent players selected at 12th overall; we went through a similar exercise Saturday with the fourth pick.

We acknowledge every Draft class is different and the players below do not necessarily reflect the star caliber of whomever Orlando ultimately chooses when the Draft gets underway on June 27th.

2009

Player: Gerald Henderson
Team: Charlotte Bobcats
Rookie stats: 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 45.3 percent True Shooting
Career stats: 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 51.3 percent True Shooting
Notes: Henderson's an example young players in difficult situations can follow. After playing sparingly in his rookie season as the Bobcats aimed to contend for the postseason, Henderson developed into a replacement-level player over the next four seasons. He's started 190 times in 200 appearances over his last three seasons, and produced decent results with some consistency. Though undersized for a two-guard--Charlotte generously lists him at 6-foot-5--Henderson is a game defender who's expanded his offensive game to make him a scoring threat off the dribble and coming off screens.

2010

Player: Xavier Henry
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Rookie stats: 4.3 points, two rebounds, 45.1 percent True Shooting
Career stats: 5.9 points, two rebounds, 48 percent True Shooting
Notes: Henry has yet to really find a home in the NBA, making 176 appearances for three teams in four seasons owing to injuries, yes, but also due to not excelling in a single area. An infrequent and inaccurate outside shooter, Henry doesn't score inside the arc well either, placing him squarely on the NBA's fringe.

2011

Player: Alec Burks
Team: Utah Jazz
Rookie stats: 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 50.6 percent True Shooting
Career stats: 9.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 52.8 percent True Shooting
Notes: Burks stands as a classic sixth-man type because he can score, score, score. In his three-year career, he's averaged nearly a point every two minutes on a True Shooting mark near the league average. In his third season, he became a more reliable pick-and-roll operator, picking up more assists while curbing his turnovers. If he can become a more consistent outside shooter, he could prove a tough cover for the NBA's second units.

2012

Player: Jeremy Lamb
Team: Houston Rockets (traded to Oklahoma City Thunder before season began)
Rookie stats: 3.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, 47.9 percent True Shooting
Career stats: 7.3 points, two rebounds, 51.7 percent True Shooting
Notes: The Thunder landed the promising Lamb in the much-maligned James Harden trade with Houston. He hardly played as a rookie, instead shuttling back and forth between OKC and the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate. The departure of Kevin Martin in free agency prompted the Thunder to trust Lamb with second-unit perimeter scoring responsibilities, and he responded with an okay season.

2013

Player: Steven Adams
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Rookie stats: 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 54.1 percent True Shooting
Notes: Adams is probably most famous for getting under opponents' skin, drawing flagrant fouls and goading foes into technicals as well. The extracurricular stuff masks the fact that he's a reasonably productive backup big man. No, he doesn't score often, but he rebounds well at both ends of the floor and blocks a fair amount of shots. Ultimately, Adams is a 20-year-old rookie logging rotation minutes for a championship-caliber team.

Bonus: 1998

Player: Michael Doleac
Team: Orlando Magic
Rookie stats: 6.2 points, three rebounds, 50.3 percent True Shooting
Career stats: 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 47.2 percent True Shooting
Notes: Despite an unrefined offensive game, Doleac lasted 10 seasons in the league because he defended the post intelligently, played hard, and bagged a 15-footer just often enough to make coaches forget the ones he missed. The only no. 12 pick in Orlando's history, Doleac stuck with the Magic for three seasons, primarily as a reserve, until they dealt him away.

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