NBA Draft 2015: Breaking Down Most Intriguing Storylines for Lottery Teams
Let's be honest—the NBA draft is really all about the top of the lottery. Yes, players hit from further down the board all of the time, but in a superstar league, the biggest difference-makers are almost always taken in the first five picks.
So let's not overthink things, folks. Let's break down the top storylines from the top of the lottery as they relate to my top five players on the board.
Who Will Go No. 1 Overall?
It's rare that you get one potentially dominant big man in a draft, let alone two, but this appears to be the year that two will hit the league, with Duke Blue Devils star Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky Wildcats star Karl-Anthony Towns atop pretty much every draft board out there.
Okafor is a future offensive dynamo who has amazing footwork, a polished post-up game and elite touch. Towns is a better defensive player and rim protector (and arguably a better all-around player, given Okafor's nonexistent defensive presence) who is tough to stop when he gets close to the basket and is a bit better on the break than Okafor is.
For NBA teams, the question might come down to which they believe will develop more: Okafor's defensive game or Towns' offensive repertoire. Towns' offensive game certainly seemed to develop this year, though Okafor was so dominant on the offensive end to start with that it's easy to forget how polished he is.
For a team that wants a scoring presence down low to build around, Okafor should be the guy. For a team that perhaps wants a more well-rounded rim protector with a ton of upside, Towns makes more sense. Either way, the team with the top overall pick appears to be getting a future star.
Emmanuel Mudiay or D'Angelo Russell?
Again, the top guards in the class present teams at the top of the lottery with an interesting stylistic choice.
Do you go for Emmanuel Mudiay, the more natural point guard prospect with the great handle and ability to get to the rim, or D'Angelo Russell, the natural scorer who can really fill it up?
David Aldridge of NBA.com received the following scouting report from a Southwest Division executive:
"He's got a wild handle. Pretty explosive north to south, like John Wall. John had to tighten it up. This kid's the same way. So he's got to learn to play a little east to west.
Mudiay is a bully guard. He has a monster personality to attack, and he will attack. He doesn't finish okay. But he has a chance to be good with his size and frame. He's got a lot of positive upsides. Maturity will help him.
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Teams will love his athleticism, his mentality, his work ethic and his size for the position. But for teams looking for a pure scorer, Russell is probably the better option.
He has an excellent shot from deep range, he can play off the ball as a 2-guard and he has incredible vision, as he demonstrated this year with some highlight-worthy passing.
So Mudiay is the more athletic guard who is a better defender and doggedly attacks the basket. Russell is the better scorer and offensive weapon who is an excellent passer. Teams probably can't go wrong taking either, and the choice will be based on what that team needs stylistically.
How High Will Justise Winslow Be Selected?
If you didn't fall in love with Justise Winslow during the NCAA tournament, well, you probably really hate Duke.
He does everything. He rebounds. He defends. He runs on the break. He can block shots.
He attacks the basket. He can shoot threes. He's smart. He's clutch.
No, he doesn't have the upside of the top four players in the draft, and you probably don't want to select him if you need a franchise cornerstone to build around. Winslow probably isn't ever going to be a Batman, but he might be the best Robin in this draft.
But where will teams value him based on the fact that he is probably best served playing a complementary role?
Personally, I have him fifth on my board, and I'd guess a few NBA teams will as well. Winslow is the type of player who does many things to make a team better, and he'll be invaluable in that role at the next level.
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