NBA Mock Draft 2015: Latest Projections for 1st-Round Prospects

The 2015 NBA draft is still months away, which leaves plenty of time for mock scenarios to be thrown about to discuss, debate and dissect.

Once the draft lottery happens, picks near the top of the first-round order will likely experience modest changes. With the college basketball season over, though, workout warriors ought to be the only prospects to really see their stocks soar.

Many of the elite players are rather well-known commodities. It's just a matter of where they fit best among the lottery teams.

Here is an updated mock in the table below, followed by more extended analysis on the teams near the top who need a franchise cornerstone to have any hope of a big step forward next season.

No.	Team	Pick
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	Frank Kaminsky, F/C, Wisconsin
9	Charlotte Hornets	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
10	Miami Heat	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
11	Indiana Pacers*	Myles Turner, PF/C, Texas
12	Utah Jazz*	Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
13	Phoenix Suns	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
15	Atlanta Hawks (via Brooklyn Nets)	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
16	Boston Celtics	Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
18	Houston Rockets (via New Orleans Pelicans)	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
19	Washington Wizards	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV
20	Toronto Raptors	Delon Wright, PG/SG, Utah
21	Chicago Bulls*	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
22	Dallas Mavericks*	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
25	Memphis Grizzlies*	Justin Anderson, SG, Virginia
26	San Antonio Spurs*	Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
27	Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers)*	Jarell Martin, PF, LSU
28	Los Angeles Lakers (via Houston Rockets)*	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
29	Brooklyn Nets (via Atlanta Hawks)	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
30	Golden State Warriors	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona

Breaking Down Lottery Outlook

There seems to be a consensus as to who the top five prospects are. Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke product Jahlil Okafor lead just about every draft conversation as the top two potential picks.

If the current records were to hold true for the draft lottery, both Minnesota and New York could use someone in the mold of Towns or Okafor.

ESPN college basketball analyst Myron Medcalf even tossed in Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell as a possible No. 1 overall pick:

It would seem that Towns is the best prospect based on his ability to hit perimeter shots, his superior defensive effort and his room to grow as a player.

Okafor has tremendous skills down low and in the post, though, with a massive frame (6'11", 270 lbs) that could see him emerge as the next truly dominant center in the NBA.

The analysis in the video above by the New York Daily News' Frank Isola is in line with what NBC Sports tweeted not long ago:

Although Russell lacks elite athleticism, he can't be discounted in the conversation. The Buckeyes star has an uncanny ability to manufacture his shot off the dribble with his tremendous ball-handling prowess or off screens thanks to his innate basketball savvy.

In addition to being a lethal 2-guard capable of lighting it up from the perimeter, Russell has outstanding floor vision and can penetrate effectively in the paint. His versatility to run the point or play off the ball makes him an intriguing option and a fit for the modern Association.

Fran Fraschilla of ESPN did well to describe Russell's game:

The question is whether Emmanuel Mudiay, who played a small, 12-game sample size in China this last year rather than attend SMU, will be the better long-term choice.

"Honestly it challenged me as a basketball player," said Mudiay of his stint overseas, per Scout.com's Evan Daniels (h/t The Dallas Morning News' EJ Holland). "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."

Mudiay has that explosive, quick-twitch skill set Russell doesn't quite boast, though Mudiay also plays with a bit more reckless abandon and isn't as good of a shooter. 

On the strength of a great NCAA tournament, Duke's Justise Winslow is generating plenty of buzz. Winslow is a wonderful defender who can ignite a fast break after making a game-changing stop, not to mention knock down three-pointers and blow by just about anyone who guards him.

Two other overseas prospects in Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis and Croatia's Mario Hezonja loom as X-factors who could be picked ahead of some of the bigger names, while Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky is a unique big who might surprise with how high he's chosen.

The top five seems rather predictable, but the lottery results will go a long way in determining where the best players go. That should add plenty of excitement in the buildup to draft day on June 25.