4 Prospects Who Will Challenge for No. 1 Spot in 2015 NBA Draft

With March just around the corner, the list of potential No. 1 overall candidates for the 2015 NBA draft has been narrowed down to four special prospects.

At this stage, you can really make a case for any of them.

Not surprisingly, we're looking at four teenagers—three projected one-and-done freshmen and an 18-year-old overseas. And for the most part, they've remained in the top-prospect tier since December.

Each one of the following prospects offers franchise-player potential—the kind that many of the expected lottery contenders will want to build their future around.

Plan on the race to the top of draft boards ultimately going right down to the wire, with the postseason likely to play a key role in determining who emerges from the pack.

Emmanuel Mudiay, China: 6'5", PG, 1996

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Emmanuel Mudiay has taken a different path to the 2015 NBA draft, having elected to play in China instead of over at SMU, where he originally committed out of high school.

But Mudiay's unorthodox move hasn't changed his draft standing as a No. 1 overall candidate—even after an ankle injury limited him to just 10 games all year.

Quite frankly, it's all he needed. Mudiay averaged 17.7 points and 5.9 assists before going down late in November. He did what he had to do.

Regardless of how much stock you put in the numbers, at 18 years old, Mudiay looked the part against grown men and various former draft picks.

He's ultimately at his best in the open floor and putting pressure on the basket, where his 6'5" size and above-the-rim burst lead to easy buckets, both for himself and his teammates.

In the half court, Mudiay is lightning-quick and shifty, which allows him to weave through gaps and manipulate the defense off the dribble. He can generate offense out of nothing, which teams seeking backcourt life are sure to value.

And he's shown an admirable willingness to put playmaking over scoring.

Mudiay's strong feel out of pick-and-rolls projects favorably to the NBA, while his breakdown handle translates to open looks for shooters in the drive-and-kick game.

As a scorer, he's more than capable of separating into makable mid-range jumpers or sinking floaters on the move.

The knocks on Mudiay start with his shooting range, a well-documented weakness out of Prime Prep Academy. Mudiay shot 9-of-30 from downtown in China, and for what it's worth, he made just one of 11 threes combined among the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.

Decision-making is another area where Mudiay has raised a few questions, though it's tough to imagine scouts being overly critical, given the questionable settings he's performed in.

If you can buy into the possibility of his jumper and shot selection improving, there's enough upside here to warrant a good, hard look at No. 1 overall.

He shares many of the same strengths and flaws as John Wall at Kentucky. Mudiay has the physical tools to create mismatches as a ball-handler, along with a balanced skill set when it comes to distributing and scoring.

The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers should each be in the market for a point guard this June. Expect them all to show heavy interest in Mudiay as we get closer to the big day.

D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State: 6'5", PG/SG, Freshman

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D'Angelo Russell wasn't in this conversation when we had it over the summer. He didn't quite scream one-and-done. You just couldn't detect the upside like you could with the other top prospects.

But Russell came out firing, putting up a 32-point line in only his third career game. It was an attention-grabber, and he's been able to keep it ever since.

Russell started off hot and hasn't cooled off. With March approaching, his average of 18.7 points per game currently leads all freshmen.

He also leads all power-conference freshmen in usage, per RealGM.com. Few prospects shoulder a heavier load than Russell, whose versatility and leadership only enhance his NBA appeal.

"Leadership is something you can't teach. I feel like I've been blessed to have that trait," Russell told Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News.

Throughout the season, we've seen Russell take games into his own hands, both as a scorer and as a distributor. With the ball, he's showcased the range and balance to stop-and-pop from anywhere, as well as the skill to finish off one foot on drives and floaters.

As a go-to option, he's consistently demonstrated the confidence to knock down contested shots, whether he's spotting up, pulling up or fading away.

Russell has also flashed the vision and passing ability to thread the needle and find teammates from seemingly impossible angles. Despite sharing a backcourt with Shannon Scott (6.1 assists per game) and being relied on heavily to score, he's still managed to dish out 5.4 assists a game.

He's spent a considerable amount of time operating off the ball as well, where he's been lethal as a shooter, having made 76 threes in 28 games at a 42.7 percent clip. And at 6'5" with crafty one-on-one shot creativity, NBA teams will have the luxury of playing him anywhere in the backcourt.

With loads of production to back up strong eye-test results, Russell even checks out analytically, ranking No. 1 in Kevin Pelton's WARP (wins above replacement player for first five NBA seasons) projections.

At 19 years old, he offers the type of potential star power down the road worthy of a No. 1 pick. I've written it before—he's as good of a freshman guard prospect as we've seen since Kyrie Irving at Duke.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky: 6'11", PF/C, Freshman

The hype started building around Karl-Anthony Towns during Kentucky's August trip to the Bahamas. Against older, international competition, he showcased the inside-out versatility that immediately jumped out as NBA-friendly.

It carried into the regular season. Towns made an early statement with nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists in a rout over Kansas on November 18.

By midseason, there was never any doubting Towns' talent. But in a rotation loaded with weapons and limited minutes to go around, we only got to see it flashed a couple of times per game.

That's changed over the past three to four weeks. In his first four games playing at least 20 minutes this month, Towns averaged 16.3 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks.

Listed at 6'11", 250 pounds, he's a strong run-and-jump athlete, as well as a skilled offensive player. We've seen everything from post scoring and savvy passing to ball-handling and shooting.

He's even making 79.8 percent of his free throws, a tribute to his promising touch and stroke. Unlike Jahlil Okafor at Duke (54.2 percent on free throws), Towns has a comfort level on the perimeter, which plays to his stretch 4 potential and previously mentioned versatility.

Still, if Towns is going to win the heart of the eventual 2015 lottery winner, it's his defense that could tip the scale.

Though he's a work in progress offensively, Towns' 7'3" wingspan and lift have translated to rim protection and plenty of shot-blocking.

He's swatting 4.6 shots per 40 minutes. Of current NBA 4s or 5s, only Hassan Whiteside and Anthony Davis left their final year of college with higher block percentages than Towns' 12.8 percent, per Sports-Reference.com. For what it's worth, he has the highest defensive rating in the country.

His footwork needs to improve on offense, as does his overall concentration. He's picking up 5.6 fouls per 40 minutes, and it's cutting into his opportunities. But Towns has been able to stay on the floor over Kentucky's last handful of games, and the production he's put up, along with the ball skills he's flashed, have really helped strengthen his No. 1 overall case.

ESPN's Chad Ford recently reported that some general managers are starting to believe Towns is the better long-term prospect than Okafor.

A two-way big man who can drive, roll, pop or post, Towns has upside as great as anyone's in the field. And we're beginning to see it come together at the most important time.

Jahlil Okafor, Duke: 6'11", C, Freshman

The consensus top recruit from the 2014 high school class, Jahlil Okafor already entered the year as a No. 1 overall contender. It took him about a week to become the favorite.

At 6'11", 270 pounds, Okafor has a blend of size, strength, agility and footwork that has translated to unstoppable one-on-one post offense. He's averaging 18.4 points on a whopping 66.5 percent shooting. Other than sending immediate help, defenses haven't had an answer for him down low, where he's as good of a back-to-the-basket scorer as we've seen in years.

Okafor grips the ball like an orange. You get the impression he can do whatever he wants with it in isolation. From drop steps and hop steps to spins and up-and-unders, Okafor has moves to go to and others to counter with.

He's even gotten tougher to double-team, given his ability to dribble away from trouble or hit the open man with a pass.

Okafor has also been a force under the boards, where his massive frame and 7'5" wingspan take up a ton of space. He's already recorded 52 putbacks in 27 games, per Hoop-Math, averaging four offensive rebounds in each, tied for No. 7 in the country.

Still, it's Okafor's ability to create high-percentage shots on demand that ultimately fuels his NBA appeal. He projects as a big man you can feature against a set defense—a player you can run your offense through and one for whom opponents must specifically game-plan.

Defense remains Okafor's lone red flag. His 4.4 percent block percentage is abnormally low, while his uninspiring lateral foot speed has hurt him in pick-and-roll coverage.

The question is whether it's something he'll eventually improve and, if not, how it will affect his ceiling. Because there just aren't too many winning, franchise big men who struggle in rim protection.

However, the value tied to Okafor's potentially dominant offensive game is great enough to neutralize some defensive concerns. He's not the lock he once looked like, but with teams such as the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and even the Philadelphia 76ers searching for a sure thing to build with, Okafor will remain front and center in the No. 1 overall conversation.