2015 NBA Mock Draft: Updated Predictions for 1st-Round Prospects

The 2015 NBA draft lottery isn't until May 19, so creating a mock of the first round is a bit difficult without the top of the order set in stone.

With the postseason still to play out, there's plenty of basketball to pay attention to before many squads focus their attention on the draft. Those teams sitting at home for the playoffs are certainly getting down to business, though, hoping to land a franchise cornerstone in the top 30.

It's hard to find immediate impact players even in the first round, as most of the elite talent is gone in the lottery. The analysis following this first-round mock therefore focuses on the higher picks.

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

2015 NBA Draft Analysis

The big debate about the draft's two big men will rage on all the way until the first round begins on June 25.

Karl-Anthony Towns headlines a slew of seven Kentucky players who have entered the draft early. Duke's Jahlil Okafor is one of three Blue Devils stars to put his name in, and he has been the front-runner to go No. 1 from the beginning of the most recent college basketball season.

Despite winning a national championship in his only year in Durham, Okafor is no longer the favorite to be chosen first. That distinction goes to Towns, who plays with a high motor and is a superior rim protector, rebounder and shooter.

As for what immediately follows, the teams that choose at Nos. 3 and 4 have an interesting dilemma. Point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is difficult to gauge, because he played professionally in China instead of attending SMU, which was his initial plan.

The NBA is stacked with point guards at the moment, so it's vital to have strength at the position. Mudiay is strong with the ball, dynamic in transition and is an excellent distributor and athlete. He's just a bit unpolished from the perimeter, though Mudiay still has plenty of time to grow there.

SMU coach Larry Brown weighed in on Mudiay's skills, per NJ.com's Matt Lombardo:

"

You need a great point guard. First and foremost I think it starts with them defending the ball. Emmanuel's 6-5, he's long, he's athletic. I think he can keep the ball in front of him. He's a pass-first point guard. He's an extra rebounder. He's not a great shooter, but, in the NBA, you have so much time to work on your shot and improve your game, his shot's not broken. I think it'll get there. I think he has it all.

"

But Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell is already a lethal outside shooter with tremendous floor vision and great intangibles—all the makings of an NBA star. Russell isn't the athlete Mudiay is, but his basketball IQ makes up for a lack of explosiveness.

To reinforce the notion that Philadelphia will take Russell, look no further than the following quote from an NBA executive about the Sixers' reported interest in the Buckeyes star.

"He's the guy they want," said the executive, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. "That's the word around the league. You know the Sixers. They won't come out and say it, but he's the guy they want."

MSG Network's Alan Hahn believes none of these standouts are quite ready for the jump to the pros:

Nevertheless, it'd be a surprise to see those four players not be the first off the board, unless a team is a better fit for Okafor's former teammate, Justise Winslow.

In the NCAA tournament, Winslow put on a show. His stout, versatile defensive abilities were spellbinding, as was his knack for taking the ball coast to coast on the fast break. Winslow canned key buckets from the paint and beyond the arc to spark Duke to its national title triumph.

CBSSports.com's Sam Vecenie conceded that Winslow's stock could continue to soar as the draft approaches:

"

As is true of everyone at this point, I like Justise Winslow a lot. Currently No. 5 on my board. Wouldn’t be crazy to see him rise to No. 3.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) April 14, 2015"

Whatever happens outside the top five selections or so is really up for debate. Overseas prospects such as Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja are difficult to judge in terms of how their games will translate to the NBA and how fast they can carve out a prominent role.

Other great college players such as Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky and reigning Arizona leading scorer Stanley Johnson will go early in the draft, but they aren't surefire successes.

Towns figures to be joined by teammates like Trey Lyles, Devin Booker and perhaps Dakari Johnson as first-round picks. Only time will tell whether any of them will merit such high draft slots, but at least they're used to sharing minutes and being patient with their roles.

With the plethora of pure Kentucky talent and the fascinating debates among the top five picks, this 2015 NBA draft promises to be as compelling as any in recent history. This is mostly because so many players near the top have incredible upside and the possibility to contribute in a big way early.