NBA Mock Draft 2015: Projections for Where Top Prospects Will Land in 1st Round

While the league's best teams battled for playoff berths throughout the 2014-15 regular season, many other teams engaged in a race to the bottom in order to better position themselves in one of the best drafts in recent memory.

The 2015 NBA draft features some elite, franchise-changing players at the top, but it is also deep enough to ensure that every team picking in the lottery will have the chance to nab a potential All-Star. Nothing is guaranteed in any draft, but the possible bust rate definitely seems to be lower in 2015 than it has been in recent years.

One of the big reasons why there is so much depth in this class is the fact that several talented, international players are available in addition to the collegiate players who took the basketball world by storm.

With that in mind, here is a closer look at some of the top international prospects who will come off the board early in the draft as well as a full first-round mock draft.

Pick No.	Team	Player
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	Karl-Anthony Towns, PF, Kentucky
2	New York Knicks	Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
3	Philadelphia 76ers	D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State
4	Los Angeles Lakers	Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China
5	Orlando Magic	Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
6	Sacramento Kings	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
7	Denver Nuggets	Mario Hezonja, SG, Croatia
8	Detroit Pistons	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
9	Charlotte Hornets	Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
10	Miami Heat	Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
11	Utah Jazz	Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin
12	Indiana Pacers	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
13	Phoenix Suns	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
15	Atlanta Hawks (from BKN)	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
16	Boston Celtics	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Myles Turner, C, Texas
18	Houston Rockets (from NO)	Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
19	Washington Wizards	Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah
20	Toronto Raptors	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
21	Dallas Mavericks	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
22	Chicago Bulls	Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
25	San Antonio Spurs	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
26	Memphis Grizzlies	Delon Wright, G, Utah
27	Boston Celtics (from LAC)	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
28	Los Angeles Lakers (from HOU)	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
29	Brooklyn Nets (from ATL)	Caris LeVert, SG, Michigan
30	Golden State Warriors	Robert Upshaw, C, Washington

Breaking Down Top International Prospects

Emmanuel Mudiay

Many basketball observers were surprised when coveted point guard Emmanuel Mudiay decided against playing at SMU in favor of a stint in China. The Arlington, Texas, native didn't miss a beat on the court, though, and he may very well have improved his draft stock.

Although he was limited to just 12 games with Guangdong Foshan due to injury, he was spectacular in the games he did play, as he averaged 18 points, six rebounds and nearly six assists per game, according to RealGM.com.

Mudiay was so strong, in fact, that John Schmeelk of WFAN Sports Radio believes he may have established himself as a top-three prospect in the draft:

While he undoubtedly took a nontraditional route to get to this point, Mudiay believes that it better prepared him for the NBA and gave him a leg up on the college players, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com:

"

I was playing against 30-year old men that are trying to feed their family. In college, they are trying to get an education and try to get a job after that. I was put in a job position. ... Honestly it challenged me as a basketball player. I'm not saying I'm better than everybody in college, but I felt like it gave me a better challenge than college would have given me.

"

Despite Mudiay's belief that he is ready for the NBA, MSG's Alan Hahn isn't convinced:

Perhaps Mudiay won't be able to dominate right away at the NBA level, but having experienced professional basketball already should make the transition a bit easier on him.

Also, it has been clear for quite some time that Mudiay has all the tools necessary to be a star, and it seems like a virtual lock that a team selecting in the top five will take him because of that.

Mario Hezonja

While Mudiay is solidly at the head of the class in terms of players who compete overseas, Croatian shooting guard Mario Hezonja is a tools-laden prospect who will interest plenty of teams selecting in the lottery.

The FC Barcelona Regal star's production during the 2014-15 season is somewhat modest, with averages of six points, two rebounds and one assist per game, but those stats look far more impressive when considering the fact that he plays less than 16 minutes per contest, according to RealGM.com.

There are definite question marks surrounding the 6'7" swingman entering the draft, but his athleticism and ability to contribute in multiple facets could compel a team to take a chance on him in the top five, per Jonah Ballow of NYKnicks.com:

Hezonja is a capable high-flyer who likes to make plays above the rim, but he also has an outside game, as evidenced by the fact that he hits nearly 41 percent of his three-point attempts.

Because of that combination of skills, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders believes he is similar to Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari:

While Gallinari isn't quite an All-Star player, he is extremely productive when healthy. Most teams would love to have a player of his ilk, which means Hezonja will be on the radar of many organizations in the lottery.

He stands out as one of the riskier lottery prospects since his game isn't necessarily refined, but some franchise will pay for his immense potential.

Kristaps Porzingis 

Seven-footers with offensive ability don't grow on trees, which is why talent evaluators will undoubtedly take a long, hard look at Kristaps Porzingis leading up to the 2015 NBA draft.

The Latvian big man has generated plenty of buzz as of late, and he has the stats to back it up. Per RealGM.com, he is averaging nearly 11 points and over four rebounds and one block per game as a 20-year-old with Spain's Baloncesto Sevilla.

He has been so impressive that Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders believes he is on the precipice of cracking the top five:

There are others who feel as though Porzingis may be even better than that, however. According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, an anonymous NBA general manager likes him so much that he believes he could be the best prospect in the entire class.

"

He's an athletic, super-skilled 7-footer who can do everything well. I was watching him warm up and had flashbacks to when I saw (Chicago Bulls big man) Pau Gasol take the floor for the first time in Spain, only this kid is much more athletic than Gasol but plays with that same fluidity. I've been asking my team since then: Are you sure he's not the No. 1 guy? Are these guys in college really better than him?

"

That type of praise is eyebrow-raising considering the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky and Duke's Jahlil Okafor have been viewed as the top two guys in this draft since the start of the college basketball season.

It is tough to envision Porzingis overtaking them between now and the draft regardless of how good his workouts are, but he is seemingly safely into the top 10, and he could very well outperform his draft position moving forward.

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