2015 NBA Draft Stock Report: Top Risers and Fallers Entering Mid-December

Now a month into the college hoops calendar, the projected 2015 NBA prospects are starting to reveal themselves. 

For the most part, each prospect came in with specific expectations. Some have started to exceed them, while a few others have failed to meet the bar. 

In our last stock report, we noted the rise of Syracuse's Chris McCullough, UCLA's Kevon Looney, Texas' Myles Turner, Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky and Duke's Justise Winslow. 

This week, we have a new batch of risers, including a few more guys who haven't quite lived up to the hype.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky ,7'0", C, Junior

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Willie Cauley-Stein has been a one-man game-changer for Kentucky, making his decision to return as a junior look like a good one early on. 

He's been all over the place, particularly at the defensive end, where he currently has the No. 1 rating in the country, per sports-reference.com. Cauley-Stein's five steals against Texas and four against North Carolina highlight his rare quickness and mobility for a 7-footer. He can disrupt opposing offenses from just about every spot on the floor. 

His offensive game has looked sharper. He leads Kentucky in scoring with 10.7 points per game, thanks to an expanded repertoire of moves, jump hooks and up-and-under moves specifically. That, and he's a monster finishing target around the rim. 

It's obviously early, but Cauley-Stein is already a Player of the Year candidate, according to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde. 

He was going to receive lottery consideration regardless, due to his world-class athleticism and NBA center size. But between the impact and strides he's made, the top 10 is starting to look more like an inevitability than a mere possibility.

Sam Dekker, Wisconsin, 6'9", SF, Junior

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After making a run to the Final Four, then bulking up over the summer and earning buzz at the LeBron James Nike Skills Academy, there were expectations of Sam Dekker.

Through 11 games, his scoring average is actually down from a season ago. He's hitting less than one three-pointer per game at an average 35.7 percent clip. 

Dekker had a chance to make a major statement against Duke but failed to show up offensively, finishing 2-of-5 shooting with five points and five boards. 

Without much shot-creating ability, Dekker is ultimately vulnerable to these types of quiet games. 

He's a smart player and capable shooter with great size for the wing, but through two seasons and a month, Dekker hasn't quite given scouts a reason to stop and stare.

Jakob Poeltl, Utah, 7'0", C, Freshman

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Jakob Poeltl continues to look the part of an NBA center at Utah, where he's nearly averaging a double-double to go with 2.9 blocks per game. 

He immediately stands out due to his size, frame and mobility, while his game quickly reminds you of Omer Asik's. Though not the greatest one-on-one threat, Poeltl is terrific out of pick-and-rolls, given his excellent hands and ability to improvise and finish in traffic. 

And he's been a monster on the glass. Poeltl ranks No. 12 in the country in rebounding percentage, having pulled in double-digit boards against San Diego State, Wichita State and Kansas—all top-16 teams.

Poeltl might not offer that can't-miss type of upside, but his physical tools, nose for the ball and feel for the game seem like a good bet to translate. His role in the pros should eventually be the same one he's played so far at Utah. 

Justin Jackson, North Carolina, 6'8", SF, Freshman

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Before the season, some were actually calling for Justin Jackson as a 2015 lottery option, a notion we can officially put to rest one month into the college hoops calendar.

Jackson, who at 190 pounds, weighs in more like a guard than an oversized wing, hasn't quite looked the part of a one-and-done talent.

A severe lack of strength has made it tough on him as a finisher. He's only converted 11 of his first 22 attempts at the rim, per Hoop-Math. 

And despite earning the reputation as a shooter out of high school, Jackson has only made four of his first 20 three-pointers.

He was a recent non-factor in North Carolina's loss to Kentucky, having finished with four points and four fouls. 

Jackson can score on the move and knock down shots when set from outside, but he's going to need at least a year to build up his body and polish the rest of his game.

Stanley Johnson, Arizona, 6'7", SF, Freshman

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Stanley Johnson took it to a helpless Michigan squad in what was clearly his signature performance of the year, having gone for 17 points, seven boards and three assists on 8-of-10 shooting. 

He nailed a three, finished an and-1 in the lane, made a sweet baseline drive after switching to his left hand to score and picked up the rest of his buckets by cutting and getting out on the break—his bread and butter. 

Johnson is relentless out there, whether he's attacking and plowing through contact or overwhelming his man on defense. Against Michigan, he played a major role in Caris LeVert's 2-of-9 no-show performance.

At Arizona, Johnson currently leads a top-three team in scoring as a freshman with 14.1 points a game while shooting it 39.3 percent from downtown. 

The Ron Artest and Kawhi Leonard comparisons are really starting to look good, as Johnson has undoubtedly established himself as one of the top two-way prospects in America. 

Aaron Harrison, Kentucky, 6'6", SG, Sophomore

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Stock Report: ↓

It's not that Aaron Harrison has regressed—he just hasn't made visible progress or showcased any additions to the offensive repertoire. 

One of the big issues with Harrison is he specializes in perimeter scoring, but he isn't a consistent shooter. So far on the year, he's been terribly erratic from downtown—13-of-51 (25.5 percent)—and inefficient in the mid-range, having hit just 29.7 percent of his two-point jumpers, per Hoop-Math.

He had a nice game against North Carolina, and that's because his jumper happened to be on. Against Texas, when he finished 1-of-9, it wasn't, which rendered him ineffective.

Harrison's core strength ultimately isn't strong enough to carry the rest of his game. He isn't overly threatening off the dribble and rarely gets to the line (two free-throw attempts per game), a reflection of his lack of explosiveness.

At 6'6", Harrison has three-point range and a sound pull-up game that should be enough to get him drafted—just not near the first round. 

Mario Hezonja, Croatia, 6'8", SG, 1995

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Sounds the alarms—Mario Hezonja has now played at least 25 minutes in three straight games after warming Barcelona's bench through most of November and the entire 2013-14 season. 

And he's making things happen. It started against Olympia Milano, when Hezonja delivered in crunch time and finished with 13 points in a four-point win. From there, he went on to score 15 points against Turow Zgorzelec, 12 against Fenerbahce Ulker and 14 against CAI Zaragoza. 

He's also made 12 of his last 26 three-point attempts, as you can see his confidence rising with each rep he gets. 

Hezonja is a spectacular athlete with a tremendous 6'8" physical profile for a 2-guard or wing. He's dangerous from outside, explosive in the open floor and a threat to score in between, whether it's with a step-back jumper or a strong take to the rack. 

In terms of upside, there probably isn't another 2 or 3 in the field with as much as Hezonja, whose potential is finally starting to materialize in Euroleague and the Spanish ACB.

Zak Irvin, Michigan, 6'6", SG, Sophomore

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Stock Report: ↓

Zak Irvin entered the year as a trendy prospect expected to rise. And he's actually averaging 15.3 points—it just hasn't been very convincing. 

Irvin's scoring arsenal essentially consists of jumpers on top of jumpers. He's taking a whopping 7.5 threes per game to 1.8 free throws, with only 15.5 percent of his shots coming at the rim, per Hoop-Math.

Though Irvin can attack in line drives and connect from long range, he's shown little ability to create off the dribble or shoot with reliable consistency. 

Irvin was 1-of-8 from downtown in Michigan's humiliating loss to N.J.I.T and 2-of-8 in its next bad loss to Eastern Michigan. 

Against Arizona, who beat the pulp out of the Wolverines, Irvin was benched by coach John Beilein 17 seconds into the second half.

"When you have, whether it's any player [on the roster], come out and exactly do the opposite, a message has to be sent, that, no, this is what we said we're going to do,'" Beilein said during his weekly radio show on WTKA 1050-AM, via Brendan Quinn of Mlive.com. "So it's not about personality. It's about this is the way we're playing things and you have to be attentive."

Beilein's rant and decision weren't quite a ringing endorsement for Irvin's basketball IQ.

He's definitely one of those guys who can catch fire from outside, but he's not a great defender and offers minimal playmaking skills. It's just not a first-round recipe at this point in time.

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, 6'5", PG/SG, Senior

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I can't imagine too many scouts saw this breakout coming. Jerian Grant, who missed the entire second half of last season with academic issues, has been unstoppable through the first month of the 2014-15 season. 

His signature game so far came in a win over Michigan State that saw him drop 27 points, six assists and three steals, including the go-ahead three-pointer with just over a minute left to play.

At 6'5", Grant has the scoring arsenal and size of a 2-guard with some nifty playmaking instincts, which allow him to operate as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, as well as work the drive-and-dish game at the point.

As a shooter, he's picked up where he left off a year ago—Grant was hitting 40.8 percent of his threes before being suspended in 2013-14, and he's hitting 37.9 percent this year on two made triples per game. 

He's putting up ridiculous numbers so far—18.9 points, six assists and 1.8 steals on a whopping 57.8 percent shooting. 

With NBA-caliber physical tools, athleticism and ball skills, it's not crazy to think that Grant could eventually enter the first-round conversation if he continues torching opposing defenses.

Terry Rozier, Louisville, 6'1", PG, Sophomore

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Stock Report: ↓

While Terry Rozier has been putting up plenty of points, he's done very little to convince us of his point guard potential, which is important, considering teams won't be looking to reach on a 6'1" scorer.

Rozier nearly has as many turnovers (19) as he does assists (21) so far on the year. Coach Rick Pitino has essentially put the ball in teammate Chris Jones' hands instead, which might be a testament to Rozier's lack of playmaking instincts off the dribble. 

He's also been pretty erratic shooting the ball. Rozier caught fire against Indiana, making 5-of-8 three-pointers, but outside that game, he's just 5-of-24 from deep.

There's no doubt he's one of the most explosive guards in college hoops. But as an NBA prospect, his sales pitch is lacking. Rozier is going to eventually have to prove he's a capable table setter at the point, as well as a more consistent shooter, particularly in the pull-up game, which was one of his major weaknesses a season ago. 

Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse, 6'9", PF, Senior

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Rakeem Christmas essentially looks like a different offensive player than he did in 2013-14, when he averaged just 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. 

He's putting up 16.4 and 8.9 this season as Syracuse's go-to option after spending the last three years limited to opportunistic finishing. 

Tied up with four seconds left against a tough Louisiana Tech squad, the Orange went to Christmas down low, who converted with a textbook jump hook in the lane.

He's ultimately become a much bigger threat with the ball in his hands. Christmas' footwork and touch have improved dramatically, from his back-to-the-basket game to his face-up attack baseline to the elbows.

He's also blocking 2.4 shots a game, and quite frankly, he's always had the body of an NBA post defender.

I wouldn't bet on much first-round interest in him as a senior who doesn't shoot from outside, but Christmas has certainly presented himself early as a viable draft option to look into.