Most projections had Illinois center Meyers Leonard going in the lottery portion of the draft, which is exactly what happened -- Leonard was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Related: 2012 NBA Draft: Meyers Leonard Interview With Craig Sager
Leonard was a solid contributor at Illinois but never a start player -- as a sophomore during the 2011-12 season, Leonard averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 points per game. He played sparingly as a freshman.
Since he decided to turn pro and started working out for NBA teams, though, he began to work his way up draft boards across the league and became a bona fide lottery prospect.
Earlier in the draft, the Trail Blazers selected point guard Damian Lillard.
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