2015 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions for NCAA Tournament's Breakout Prospects

Throughout the past few months, we’ve become pretty acquainted with the top four projected picks in the upcoming NBA draft: Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Okafor occupied that No. 1 spot for most of the year, but the versatile Towns seems to have supplanted him in recent weeks. After those four are off the board, it’s really anyone’s guess how things will play out.

What we do know is this: When the lights were their brightest and the moment its biggest, these guys listed below stepped up in a huge way.

They helped their teams in the NCAA tournament, for sure, but they also helped themselves by elevating their draft stock.

Updated Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player
1	New York Knicks	Karl-Anthony Towns
2	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jahlil Okafor
3	Philadelphia 76ers	Emmanuel Mudiay
4	Los Angeles Lakers	D'Angelo Russell
5	Orlando Magic	Justise Winslow
6	Sacramento Kings	Willie Cauley-Stein
7	Denver Nuggets	Mario Hezonja
8	Detroit Pistons	Kristaps Porzingis
9	Charlotte Hornets	Stanley Johnson
10	Miami Heat	Frank Kaminsky
11	Indiana Pacers	Jakob Poeltl
12	Utah Jazz	Myles Turner
13	Phoenix Suns	Kelly Oubre
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kris Dunn
15	Atlanta Hawks (via Nets)	Sam Dekker
16	Boston Celtics	Jerian Grant
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Devin Booker
18	Houston Rockets (via Pelicans)	Bobby Portis
19	Washington Wizards	Trey Lyles
20	Chicago Bulls	Kevon Looney
21	Toronto Raptors	Tyus Jones
22	Dallas Mavericks	Montrezl Harrell
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Cameron Payne
25	Boston Celtics (via Clippers)	Caris LeVert
26	San Antonio Spurs	Christian Wood
27	Los Angeles Lakers (via Rockets)	R.J. Hunter
28	Memphis Grizzlies	Jarrell Martin
29	Brooklyn Nets (via Hawks)	George Lucas
30	Golden State Warriors	Delon Wright

March Madness Stars

Justise Winslow

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

With Okafor and Tyus Jones joining him in a loaded freshman class, it was easy to overlook Justise Winslow early in the year. He definitely got some recognition, but not as much as his teammates.

The 6’6” swingman played well under Mike Krzyzewski, who had high praise for him back in December, per ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

Winslow didn’t win a lot of headlines, but he helped Duke, the eventual champion, win a ton of games with 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 48.6 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from distance.

But once March Madness tipped off, something in Winslow changed. He was more of a main attraction than an opening act. Literally every facet of his stat line improved.

Okafor, Jones and fellow frosh Grayson Allen all played a special part in Duke’s championship run, but no one raised their draft stock more than Winslow.

Time period	Points	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	FG %	3PT %
Regular season/ACC tournament	12.3	2.0	5.9	0.7	1.3	48.2	39.5
NCAA tournament	14.3	2.1	6.5	1.7	1.5	50.9	57.1

On April 7, Nate Scott of USA Today wrote that Winslow, not Okafor, is Duke's top NBA prospect, citing his ability to guard multiple positions effectively and his similarity to two-way wings like Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Grantland’s Mark Titus, weeks before the Blue Devils beat Wisconsin for the title, had an interesting prediction for Winslow:

"

Winslow is an animal right now. He’s got my vote for player of the tournament so far. Speaking of which: What if Winslow really is the best player in the tournament? With D’Angelo Russell seemingly bowing out of the race for the top spot in the NBA draft with a turd of a performance against Arizona, I suspect that basketball fans will have to choose between Team Okafor or Team Towns before the end of June. But what about Team Winslow? Why is everyone arguing over which big man should be the top pick when the 3,459 best players in today’s NBA play on the perimeter? If Winslow keeps this up and Duke wins the national title, we have to talk about him going first overall, right?

"

Winslow might be a slightly safer pick than Okafor or Towns; the big fellas have the potential to be great. Still, though, it’s tough to count Winslow out of the race for a top-three selection.

R.J. Hunter

Despite winning just two games, R.J. Hunter authored one of the greatest moments of this year’s tournament.

And maybe any tournament...ever.

Hunter scored 12 of his underdog Georgia State team's final 13 points, but as time wound down, it looked like the favored Baylor Bears would escape the round of 64 with a scare.

Then, in the spirit of madness, the Sun Belt Player of the Year drilled a deep three-pointer on a broken play with under three seconds left, giving his team the lead and the win.

His coach, Ron Hunter—who is also his dad—flung his hands up and belly-flopped to the floor in sheer joy.

Reality, by way of Xavier, smacked Georgia State in the mouth a game later, but the Hunters had made their mark. In what was their final time as a coach-player duo, the father and son shared a heartfelt moment, via the official March Madness account:

Now, R.J. is wisely making the leap into the pros.

Bleacher Report’s Daniel O’Brien heralded the gangly sniper as the top mid-major draft prospect back in September. But other than that, few people—fans and media alike—knew a whole lot about him.

And that’s exactly why entering the draft now is the smart move. His stock and celebrity will never be higher.

Year	Points	Rebounds	Assists	FG %	3PT %
2012-13	17.0	5.1	1.8	43.9	36.5
2013-14	18.3	4.6	1.7	44.4	39.5
2014-15	19.7	4.7	3.6	39.5	30.5

As of now, DraftExpress has Hunter pegged at 27th to the Los Angeles Lakers. Playing on a rebuilding team in a low-pressure environment would be a good opportunity for the lanky, Reggie Miller-esque Hunter to grow.

But it’s hard to see him dropping that far.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

With the need for three-point shooting at an all-time high, distance-deprived teams will be clamoring to improve their depth beyond the arc. Here’s how Clayton Crowe of NBADraft.net describes Hunter's jumper:

"

He's quite possibly best pure shooter in college ... He doesn't have your prototypical release but he is fluid and smooth and shoots a high percentage from virtually anywhere on the court ... He's got range for days and doesn't lack for confidence ... There's no shot on the court that he doesn't like and likewise, there's no shot on the court that he's afraid to take ... He can spot up and pull up off the dribble but he is at his best when he's coming off of screens.

"

Every single top-12 team in three-point shooting percentage is in position to make the playoffs. How crazy is that?

Actually, not very. The NBA game is becoming increasingly perimeter-based, with the need for bruising frontlines diminishing by the year.

The Boston Celtics, one of the four postseason teams who don’t stroke it well from distance, pick twice before the Lakers (16th and 25th). DraftExpress predicts that the the Celts will snag Jerian Grant and Caris LeVert, but Hunter is probably a better option than either of those guys.

Is Hunter an elite player? Not yet, but he sure is an elite shooter. So if some squad, like Boston, in the 15-to-20 range takes a chance on him, don’t act surprised.

Or, you know, fly off your chair.

All stats are accurate as of April 9, via Sports-Reference.com.