Illinois center Meyers Leonard is projected to be taken by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 12th overall selection in the latest mock draft from Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated. Over the past few weeks, Leonard has slowly emerged as a likely lottery pick thanks to impressive showings during workouts.
Much like Lillard, Leonard was a combine All-Star by most accounts. He measured well (7-1¼ in shoes, with a 7-3 wingspan) and did more than enough to likely keep him in the lottery. After dealing Bogut, the Bucks could certainly use Leonard. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for Illinois after a freshman season in which he barely played. Zeller and Syracuse center Fab Melo will likely be considered.
After playing sparingly during his freshman season, Leonard emerged as one of the key players for Illinois as a sophomore. While he couldn't lead the Illini to a NCAA Tournament appearance, he's done enough over the past year-plus to convince GM's that he can develop into a legitimate NBA center, one of the rarest commodities in the sport.
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