NBA Draft 2015: Breaking Down Best Mock Draft Fits for Every 1st-Round Team

The 2015 NBA draft already has basketball fans buzzing, as the top of the class is stacked with elite-level talent, while the remainder features plenty of high-upside prospects who could develop into star-caliber players as well.

Although the cream of the crop will come off the board right away in the form of Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor of Duke, this is far from a two-player class. Many of the prospects have issues that could prevent them from being selected as early as their potential suggests they should be, but that could pave the way for some big-time steals.

In addition to a mock draft featuring the best fit for every first-round team, here is a look at some of the best high-upside prospects who could outperform their draft status.

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	Atlanta Hawks (from BKN)	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
12	Utah Jazz	Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin
13	Phoenix Suns	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
15	Indiana Pacers	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
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	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
20	Toronto Raptors	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
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	Memphis Grizzlies	Delon Wright, G, Utah
26	Los Angeles Lakers (from HOU)	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV
27	Boston Celtics (from LAC)	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
28	San Antonio Spurs	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
29	Brooklyn Nets (from ATL)	Jarell Martin, PF, LSU
30	Golden State Warriors	Robert Upshaw, C, Washington

Breaking Down High-Upside Players

Myles Turner

Big man Myles Turner is an early entrant into the 2015 NBA draft after a solid debut campaign at the University of Texas, but many are questioning if the 6'11" native of Houston is ready to make the leap to the next level.

Turner averaged over 10 points per game, but his presence was truly felt on the defensive end, as he ripped down over six rebounds and approached nearly three blocks per contest. Even though it may take some time for him to develop offensively, Turner has a chance to be an instant contributor due to his defensive acumen.

One thing Eric Bossi of Rivals.com believes Turner needs to do in order to reach his full potential in the NBA is fill out his lengthy frame, according to Avi Zaleon of The Dallas Morning News.

"He needs to get a little stronger," Bossi said. "I think Myles is more of a long-term stock because of the physicality in the NBA. He still needs to add another 20-25 pounds. It's a matter of how quickly that happens. ... He's going from college and a boys' game to a grown man's game."

In addition to that, some have questioned Turner's fluidity, but Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com points out that observers once said the same thing about some big men who have gone on to have successful NBA careers:

"

People are judging Myles Turner on the wrong things. Roy Hibbert and Marc Gasol seemed pretty stiff as 18-year olds.

— Jonathan Tjarks (@JonathanTjarks) April 1, 2015"

There is no question Turner is a bit of a project, which is why he could conceivably drop outside the lottery despite his strong skill set. That wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing for him, though, since expectations would be lower.

Turner doesn't have the makings of a player who will step in and dominate immediately, but all the tools are in place for him to develop into something special if he lands in the right situation.

Bobby Portis

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

While much of the focus in the SEC during the 2014-15 campaign was on Kentucky and its cavalcade of stars, something special happened at Arkansas, as power forward Bobby Portis emerged as a star and the SEC Player of the Year.

The 6'11" Little Rock, Arkansas, native was spectacular this past season, as he averaged over 17 points, nearly nine rebounds and better than one block per game. He made the Razorbacks a top-25 team, and he was the unquestioned go-to guy on a game-by-game basis.

Portis could have returned to school for his junior year and further refined his game, but his stock is so high after such a strong season that Wally Hall of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette believes he made the right call:

Some coaches would be outwardly disappointed to lose such a fantastic player to the NBA, but Arkansas' Mike Anderson was nothing but supportive, according to The Associated Press, via FoxSports.com.

"It's a more sweet than bitter day," Anderson said. "Why? Because this kid, he's part of my family."

That speaks to the impact Portis made on the Arkansas program not only as a player but also as a teammate and a person.

Portis is a high-character guy, and his effort was rarely in question at the collegiate level. Those are qualities that should mesh well with his skills in terms of helping him become a quality player in the NBA.

Although Portis was overlooked to some degree this past season and isn't receiving a ton of hype entering the draft, he could prove to be one of the biggest value picks in the first round.

R.J. Hunter

There wasn't much talk regarding Georgia State guard R.J. Hunter being a potential early entrant into the NBA draft ahead of the 2014-15 season, but after his performance on the big stage of the NCAA tournament, he decided to forgo his senior season.

Hunter almost single-handedly carried his team to an upset win over Baylor in the round of 64, as he dominated down the stretch, and he followed that up with a 20-point effort against Xavier. The 6'6" shooting guard averaged nearly 20 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, and he knocked down more than two trifectas per contest as well.

With that said, Hunter is somewhat inconsistent, and his numbers were a product of high volume to some degree. He hit just over 30 percent of his three-point attempts this past season, and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated believes another year at Georgia State would have been beneficial:

It is tough to argue with Hunter's decision, though, since he is widely considered to be a first-round prospect. The biggest adjustment for him moving forward will be settling into a role rather than being the go-to guy.

Hunter could be a hugely valuable player in the NBA due to his ability to stretch the defense and hit shots from long range. If he can continue to develop his all-around game, the sky is the limit.

Since Hunter has the feel of a player who will be taken in the latter part of the first round, he should have the luxury of settling into the NBA rather than having massive expectations heaped upon him. 

Provided Hunter is brought along slowly and eased into a bigger role as his career progresses, he could become a big-time scoring threat at the next level.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter