2015 NBA Draft Prospects Los Angeles Lakers Should Already Be Considering

The only drama remaining in the 2014-15 season for the Los Angeles Lakers is to find out whether L.A. will indeed be picking in the top five of June's draft. Retaining the selection is crucial to the Lakers' efforts to rebuild the most successful basketball operation the NBA has ever known. 

Currently, L.A. owns the league's fourth-worst record. The Lakers could still slip behind the Minnesota Timberwolves or (gulp) move past the Orlando Magic in the standings, but the likeliest scenario has them finishing in this slot.

The Lakers would have roughly an 83 percent chance of landing in the top five with the fourth-worst mark. They would have about a 38 percent probability of crashing the top three and a 12 percent shot of snaring the No. 1 overall selection.

With those odds in mind, it's a safe assumption the Lakers will get a coveted top-five draft choice. Let's run with that and take a look at NBA draft prospects L.A. should consider in that spot.

Jahlil Okafor

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Okafor came into the year as the top-rated prospect and has held onto that label all season long—but his ironclad grip on the top spot has loosened considerably in recent weeks.

The Duke Blue Devil has struggled of late. Over his last four games he is averaging just 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds and is showing no confidence from the foul line.

In fact, Okafor's free-throw percentage for the entire season is down to 52.4 percent, and he has made just seven of 26 attempts from the charity stripe over the past month.

His offensive game still looks NBA-ready. He scores easily around the basket and is shooting nearly 67 percent from the field for the year. Big men with that kind of refined low-post game are few and far between, and ESPN.com's Chad Ford maintains that he "remains the most polished offensive freshman big man we've seen in a decade."

Still, Okafor is no longer the no-brainer No. 1 selection he was just a few weeks ago. He may be on the board even if the Lakers don't luck into the top pick.

Karl-Anthony Towns

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Towns is the flavor of the month among scouts, as he has consistently been the best player for the as yet undefeated Kentucky Wildcats.

Playing on the most talent-rich squad in the nation has kept his minutes down—thus artificially depressing his numbers—but Towns has impressed when he's been on the floor.

The freshman center has scored in double figures each of the last nine times he has amassed at least 20 minutes in a game, and unlike Jahlil Okafor, he's knocking down his foul shots (79 percent for the season).

Towns' biggest attraction, though, is his defense. Kentucky is tough to score on largely because of the rim protection he provides. He averages 2.4 blocks in just over 20 minutes per night.

Los Angeles would see him as a great fit next to the more offensively inclined Julius Randle. Being able to develop his outside shot and stretch the floor—as he is showing the potential to do—would make him an even better complement.

Emmanuel Mudiay

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The mystery man of this year's draft is Emmanuel Mudiay, who spurned Larry Brown and the program at SMU to play professionally for one season in China.

Mudiay didn't play many games before an injury forced him to miss time. He essentially shut things down after that.

As we saw with Dante Exum last season and Enes Kanter a couple of years ago, not playing meaningful basketball doesn't necessarily hurt your stock.

The less scouts see of your game, the less they can pick apart. Mudiay showed enough in China to keep teams interested, and he has also drawn praise for the way he handled himself through his time abroad as well.

Being a big (6'5", 200 lbs), athletic hybrid guard, Mudiay has drawn comparisons to the likes of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and John Wall. With that kind of upside, he will be a strong consideration anywhere in the top five.

Los Angeles has been in desperate need of a point guard for years. Bringing in Mudiay could solve that issue for the next decade or more.

D'Angelo Russell

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Before Karl-Anthony Towns' recent surge, D'Angelo Russell was the hot prospect coming for Jahlil Okafor's perch on top of draft boards everywhere.

The Ohio State guard has put up eye-popping numbers all year, averaging better than 19 points, five rebounds and five assists per contest.

As a smooth southpaw with a sweet shooting stroke, Russell has naturally been compared favorably with James Harden—and Harden's MVP campaign in the NBA has subtly driven up Russell's stock as well, as executives imagine him in the same mold.

Russell's hot outside shooting has cooled off a bit. Over his past 10 games, he's made just 23-of-68 from long range, and the Buckeyes have lost four of those tilts. His assist numbers have dropped off as well, as he has averaged only four assists per game over his last seven.

Still, anyone who throws passes as pretty as this one will drum some excitement as a lead guard.

The Lakers need someone to take the reins on offense after Kobe Bryant moves on. Russell could be that guy.

Willie Cauley-Stein

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The second player on the list from Kentucky, Willie Cauley-Stein has been rising up draft boards as he begins to show the makings of an offensive game.

He is a long, lean, shot-blocking machine in the mold of UK predecessors Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel. However, his offense isn't nearly as developed as Davis', and he lags behind both former Wildcats in rebound rate.

But that defense, though. Not only does Cauley-Stein protect the rim, but he also has the quickness and agility to guard almost any position on the floor. Kentucky has deployed him as more of an all-around stopper this season—with Towns serving as the primary paint protector—and it has resulted in a career high in steals for Cauley-Stein.

With the types of steal and block numbers Davis and Noel are putting up in the NBA this season, teams are dreaming that Cauley-Stein can be the next versatile Kentucky big to make a huge impact defensively out of the gate.

Still, offense and rebounding are genuine concerns. Three years into his college career, Cauley-Stein still remains raw on offense. The good news is he's flashing a more accurate jump shot in 2015, and his foul shooting has improved markedly each year.

If the Lakers aren't able to grab one of the top four prospects, Cauley-Stein will warrant strong consideration. He would make a nice fit next to his former college teammate Julius Randle and help stop the layup parade that has plagued the Lakers the past couple of seasons.