2015 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions for Top Prospects Ahead of Final Four

With a historic Final Four inbound, it's only natural thoughts will drift toward the 2015 NBA draft during the wait. 

Rest assured the NBA continues to go over the happenings in the Big Dance with a fine comb, looking for those first-round gems and breaking down which prospects rose or fell on the biggest collegiate stage of them all.

More top-flight prospects are through to the Final Four than usual, but plenty of eliminated names did great work for their stock as well.

Below, let's run down a first-round mock and highlight prospects, both still alive and eliminated, who have helped themselves the most this postseason.

2015 NBA First-Round Mock Draft

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

Order via DraftExpress as of March 30.

Highlighting Prospects Who Have Boosted Stock in Big Dance

Justise Winslow, SF, Duke

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Before the NCAA tournament, Justise Winslow experienced some serious issues creating separation between himself and other top wings such as Mario Hezonja, Stanley Johnson and Kelly Oubre.

Not anymore.

Winslow's tournament started off quiet enough, scoring six points against 16th-seeded Robert Morris. He then exploded, though, scoring 13 against San Diego State, 21 against Utah and 16 more against Gonzaga, picking up the slack of Jahlil Okafor in a big way.

As ESPN's Fran Fraschilla points out, Winslow continues to create mismatch nightmares for the opposition:

This is what the NBA needed to see from the 6'6", 222-pound Texas native to believe in his high stock after an up-and-down season.

For a team such as the Detroit Pistons, which could use other options besides Caron Butler and Tayshaun Prince, Winslow is an ideal fit so long as he doesn't self-destruct as he finishes out the tournament.

Prediction: Detroit selects Winslow at No. 8.

Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin

Harry How/Getty Images

For Wisconsin, Frank Kaminsky hogs the spotlight. 

Fine. He averages over five points more than Sam Dekker, is a more recognizable personality and seems well on his way to some individual hardware.

Dekker, though, continues to churn out head-turning performances. Said performances continue to do nothing short of boost his stock:

OPP	FGM-FGA	FG%	REB	AST	BLK	PTS
Coastal Car.	8-15	.533	2	2	0	20
Oregon	6-12	.500	5	0	1	17
North Carolina	10-15	.667	10	1	0	23
Arizona	8-11	.727	5	1	0	27

The man is downright on fire and received an individual reward of his own, as the team noted on Twitter:

The best may be yet to come from Dekker, but there's little doubt his stock is now through the roof. At 6'9" and 230 pounds with an improving shot from long range, teams in the first round will find it difficult to ignore his budding skill set.

Look at a team like Toronto, an annual playoff contender perhaps not against adding more depth to its impressive bench and giving itself more options for the future. 

Prediction: Toronto selects Dekker at No. 20.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes offense isn't the entire story when it comes to a potential first-round pick. 

Case in point—Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

While the sophomore scored 23 points against Texas Southern to open the tournament and an impressive 17 in a losing effort against Wisconsin to end his Big Dance, what has the attention of pro scouts is his defense.

Note analysis and quotes gathered by ESPN's Chad Ford:

"

Hollis-Jefferson scored 23 points on 7-for-9 shooting against Texas Southern and just 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting against Ohio State. However, the defensive job he did on D'Angelo Russell drew raves from scouts. "He's the best on the ball wing defender in the country," one GM said. "He can guard elite NBA 2s and 3s right now." Hollis-Jefferson's jump shot is clearly a problem, but his defense is so good, it might now matter. He's a shorter version of Willie-Cauley-Stein.

"

"Shorter version of Willie-Cauley-Stein" isn't a bad thing, folks.

At 6'7" and 220 pounds with a defensive reputation only continuing to explode, Hollis-Jefferson now seems a lock for the first round as a key addition for a contending team in need of his services right out of the gates.

Portland makes sense near the end of the round, as the team could deploy Hollis-Jefferson in a smart manner to counteract the star-happy Western Conference to great effect.

Prediction: Portland selects Hollis-Jefferson at No. 25. 

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.