2015 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Best Prospects

The top prospects in the 2015 NBA draft are relatively agreed upon. What remains to be seen is how the lottery will shake up the order in which they'll be chosen.

May 19 is the fateful date that will alter the fortunes of multiple franchises seeking a spark through what figures to be a rather talented 2015 draft class.

In the table below is a mock scenario of the first round with an order based on the final regular-season standings. That's followed by a preview of what to generally expect in the first round provided the lottery isn't too crazy.

Pos.	Team	Player
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky
2	New York Knicks	Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
3	Philadelphia 76ers	D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Ohio State
4	Los Angeles Lakers	Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China
5	Orlando Magic	Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
6	Sacramento Kings	Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
7	Denver Nuggets	Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia
8	Detroit Pistons	Frank Kaminsky, F/C, Wisconsin
9	Charlotte Hornets	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
10	Miami Heat	Myles Turner, PF/C, Texas
11	Indiana Pacers	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
12	Utah Jazz	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
13	Phoenix Suns	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
15	Atlanta Hawks (via Brooklyn Nets)	Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
16	Boston Celtics	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
18	Houston Rockets (via New Orleans Pelicans)	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
19	Washington Wizards	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV
20	Toronto Raptors	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
21	Dallas Mavericks	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
22	Chicago Bulls	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Delon Wright, PG/SG, Utah
25	Memphis Grizzlies	Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse
26	San Antonio Spurs	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
27	Los Angeles Lakers (via Houston Rockets)	Jarell Martin, PF, LSU
28	Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers)	Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
29	Brooklyn Nets (via Atlanta Hawks)	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
30	Golden State Warriors	Justin Anderson, SG/SF, Virginia

2015 NBA Draft First-Round Preview

The big men are the big story in this draft class. As perimeter-oriented as the modern NBA is becoming, the top two prospects figure to be Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke star Jahlil Okafor.

What order those two are in is a matter of debate, and how they come off the board probably depends on how the lottery shakes out. Towns seems to be the better NBA projection though, based on his superior perimeter game, defensive intensity and overall motor, which suggests he can capitalize on his upside.

That isn't to say Okafor can't achieve his immense potential—he just needs to show more of a killer instinct.

Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler notes the climate Okafor faces prior to the draft:

Okafor has a precocious arsenal of post moves and can use his massive size to dominate the paint even as an NBA rookie. There is still room to improve as a rim protector and more consistent rebounder, though, and if Okafor can do that, he has all the makings of a perennial All-Star.

Kentucky alone has four bigs fully capable of being drafted in the top 30, including Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles and Dakari Johnson. It goes to show how deep the Wildcats were this past season, not to mention how special Towns is for standing out among that loaded bunch.

Frank Kaminsky has a unique skill set as a 7-footer and could simply be a college success story who doesn't pan out in the pros. On the other hand, the Wisconsin standout shined against the best NCAA competition regularly, so it's a matter of team fit that will determine his draft slot in the lottery.

Point guards garner a ton of buzz these days in the Association. It's deserved acclaim, because the position has a ton of star power at the moment. Two more studs could well be on the way in Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, who played professionally in China last season.

One sign that Russell is unique and prepared for the next level is the perspective he had when the hype was building during his freshman year in Columbus, along with his willingness to play anywhere, per The Columbus Dispatch's Todd Jones:

"

Throughout the year I wouldn’t watch that stuff. My brothers would text me and say, 'Hey, they got you at No. 2 now, or No. 4.' I would positively say, 'I don't want to hear this. I'm preparing for the next game, the next practice.' They understood what I was saying, the meaning behind it. My name was buzzing. I couldn't run from the attention. [...] When people ask me what position I want to be, I just want to be a basketball player. I just want to be on the floor.

"

Russell seems best suited to play a scoring role at the next level for the time being, what with his superior savvy working off the ball and magnificent perimeter shooting ability.

The decision teams have to wrestle with when deciding between Russell and Mudiay is the latter's election not to play stateside for the past year and his superior upside. Mudiay is the better athlete, but is a trickier NBA projection.

Depending on how highly heralded top international players in Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja become, Okafor's Duke teammate Justise Winslow could be the No. 5 overall pick. Winslow had a great NCAA tournament run that helped Duke to a national championship, serving as a big boost to his stock.

With so much to be determined by the lottery, it's still a bit tricky to forecast the 2015 NBA draft. Dilemmas between the pairs of Towns and Okafor and Russell and Mudiay promise to make the top of the draft tremendously exciting at the very least.