NBA Mock Draft 2015: Projections for Top Senior Prospects
Underclassmen rule the first round of the NBA draft these days. It seems as if players who stick around all four years do so because they don't have the talent necessary to make themselves first-round selections after their freshman, sophomore or junior seasons.
That's a tough fact for purists to swallow, but it's difficult to dispute. In the 2015 NBA draft, it will be a shock if more than three seniors are selected in the first round. The Wisconsin Badgers' Frank Kaminsky could be the only lottery selection.
Nonetheless, this mock will focus on the top seniors in the draft. The players who are spotlighted have their names highlighted in the table. Note, this mock is a representation of who the author believes would be selected in each spot if the Minnesota Timberwolves get the No. 1 pick and the order of the draft goes the way of the highest probability.
Before we take a look at the full mock, let me clarify the ideology of the first four picks in the mock. This isn't related to the seniors, but because this mock is different from most you'll read, it seems appropriate to explain.
I have the Wolves taking Jahlil Okafor of the Duke Blue Devils. With Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine in place, Minnesota will go big with the top pick if it lands it. While Karl-Anthony Towns of the Kentucky Wildcats is an amazing prospect and an obvious possibility here, Okafor is a safer bet, and his skill set/frame is harder to find.
His size (6'11" 272 lbs), length (7'5" wingspan) and post-scoring ability would give Okafor one of the rarest combinations of skills and physical attributes in the NBA. Because of that, I believe the Wolves would take him No. 1.
That brings us to No. 2, where most would have Towns going to the New York Knicks. Towns might be the second-best talent on my board, but he's not the best fit for the Knicks. Rumors about the Knicks' interest in pending unrestricted free agent Greg Monroe have been swirling for the past few weeks.
According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, a league source said this of New York's plans to pursue Monroe: "He will definitely be near the top of the list."
With the Knicks possibly looking to sign a soon-to-be 25-year-old big man with proven abilities to score and rebound, and with Carmelo Anthony also getting opportunities to work his inside-outside game, there doesn't seem to be any room for another low-post player.
Instead, a better fit would be a perimeter playmaker such as the Ohio State Buckeyes' D'Angelo Russell. That takes us to the No. 3 pick in this scenario. The Philadelphia 76ers already have Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. Why would they draft Towns? Taking the dynamic Emmanuel Mudiay is a far more logical selection for them.
Bringing in a young point guard who is capable of running the show for the Sixers' young bigs would be ideal. Mudiay has true superstar potential.
That takes us to No. 4, where the Los Angeles Lakers would probably take all of 30 seconds to send in their selection of Towns to man their frontcourt. Yes, they have Julius Randle, but the team would likely move Towns to center to facilitate a Kentucky-west set of bigs. This setup is not a slight toward Towns but more of a product of the predicted draft order in a mock that takes team needs into consideration.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's look at the full mock and the top-rated seniors.
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke |
| 2 | New York Knicks | D'Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China |
| 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | Karl-Anthony Towns, PF, Kentucky |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Justise Winslow, SF, Duke |
| 6 | Sacramento Kings | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, Wisconsin |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Myles Turner, C/PF, Texas |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn Nets) | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 18 | Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans) | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Christian Wood, PF, UNLV |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 22 | Chicago Bulls | Delon Wright, PG, Utah |
| 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarell Martin, PF, LSU |
| 25 | San Antonio Spurs | George Lucas, SG, Brazil |
| 26 | Memphis Grizzlies | Cliff Alexander, PF, Kansas |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets) | Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia |
| 28 | Boston Celtics (from Los Angeles Clippers) | Robert Upshaw, C, Washington |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks) | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky |
Frank Kaminsky
With a 7-foot, 242-pound frame, Kaminsky has the size to play either the power forward or center position. His skill set probably is best suited as a stretch 4.
Kaminsky has an excellent stroke on his jump shot, and he possesses range that extends out to the three-point line. As a senior, Kaminsky made 41.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He's also good at pump faking his defender in the air on the perimeter and driving to the rim. If he has a size mismatch, he has the footwork and touch to score in the post.
His deficiencies lie in below-average NBA athleticism. Kaminsky's feet are slow, and he doesn't play above the rim. However, he is a disciplined and high-effort on-ball defender as Badgers head coach Bo Ryan demands that approach.
Because of this skill set, Kaminsky fits in well as a complementary player to either the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert or Derrick Favors. As a reserve, Kaminsky's offense could provide excellent floor spacing and another long big man on defense. His game is similar to that of a more defensive-minded Mehmet Okur. Jazz fans should be familiar with him, as he played seven seasons in Utah and now serves as an ambassador for the team.
Jerian Grant
Kaminsky is the highest-rated senior on most draft boards, but if I were ranking the best four-year players, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Grant would be No. 1 on my list.
At 6'5", Grant has excellent size to play point guard. He also possesses the quickness, ball-handling skills and jump shot to move to the 2-guard without concession. While he could play either spot, Grant could make the most impact at the point guard position.
In addition to his size, Grant doesn't turn the ball over at a high clip, and he's adept at getting his teammates involved. As a senior, he averaged 6.6 assists and just 2.2 turnovers per game. The 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is what most teams look for in their point guards.
Grant could stand to add some consistency to his outside shot. He made a decent but unspectacular 31.6 percent from long range in his last season for Notre Dame. Because of his unselfishness and size, he'd make for a potentially dynamic backcourt running mate with the Houston Rockets' James Harden. Patrick Beverley is set to be a restricted free agent, and he's also coming off a season-ending injury.
The Rockets could allow him to walk if they can draft Grant.
Delon Wright
The Utah Utes had their own senior point guard stand out during this past season. The 6'5" 179-pound Delon Wright is a demon on defense and a stat-sheet stuffer on offense. During his senior campaign, Wright averaged 14.7 points, five rebounds, five assists and 2.1 steals per contest.
While he's not spectacular, he can do a little bit of everything to help his team win games.
Wright's frame needs some work. He's extremely thin, but his length should prevent bigger point guards from taking him into the post. He could also stand to work a bit more on his ball protection. He averaged two turnovers per game with fewer assists than Grant while playing fewer minutes.
That said, the impact he can make on defense in the passing lanes has to be taken into consideration when evaluating his potential impact in the NBA.
Assuming pending unrestricted free agent Aaron Brooks has played himself out of the Chicago Bulls' salary range, the team could elect to draft Wright to back up Derrick Rose. Because of Rose's injury history, the reserve point guard role in Chicago can blossom into an opportunity to play starter's minutes as a rookie.
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