2015 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions, Most Promising Prospects and Analysis

With the NBA draft lottery a day away and the actual draft five weeks from now, NBA fans will be clamoring to learn every little thing they can about any potential players their team could end up selecting. 

So let's get a head start on that process with my latest mock draft and a closer look at some of the players you might not be hearing as much about. 

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	Karl-Anthony Towns, 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	Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
6	Sacramento Kings	Justise Winslow, G/F, Duke
7	Denver Nuggets	Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia
8	Detroit Pistons	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
9	Charlotte Hornets	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
10	Miami Heat	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
11	Indiana Pacers*	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
12	Utah Jazz*	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
13	Phoenix Suns	Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
End of Lottery
15	Atlanta Hawks (via Nets)	Myles Turner, PF, Texas
16	Boston Celtics	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
18	Houston Rockets (via Pelicans)	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
19	Washington Wizards	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
20	Toronto Raptors	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
21	Dallas Mavericks*	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
22	Chicago Bulls*	Delon Wright, PG, Utah
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF/SG, Arizona
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia
25	San Antonio Spurs*	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
26	Memphis Grizzlies*	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV
27	Los Angeles Lakers (via Rockets)*	Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
28	Boston Celtics (via Clippers)*	Cliff Alexander, PF, Kansas
29	Brooklyn Nets (via Hawks)	Jarell Martin, PF, LSU
30	Golden State Warriors	Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse

We all know the debate for the team selecting No. 1 overall will likely be between the versatile Karl-Anthony Towns and his seemingly unlimited ceiling and Jahlil Okafor and his advanced offensive game. We know that the team at No. 3 will likely debate selecting D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay if they are looking for a guard, while wing Justise Winslow looks like a complete player. 

But what about some of the players outside of the top five? What should we expect for players who are generating less buzz, or players who we simply know a bit less about? 

Let's break them down. 

Let's start with Kristaps Porzingis, the 7'1" 19-year-old playing in Spain who may have as much, if not more upside than any other player in this draft.

Derek Bodner of USA Today offered the following scouting report on the intriguing player: 

"

Porzingis oozes potential, with a combination of soft touch on his jumper and quick feet that are rare for a player of his size, which combined with an ability to alter shots at the rim that makes him a threat to impact the game on both ends of the court.

Part of what makes Porzingis so unique, and so intriguing, is that he's not just a shooter who can make an open shot with his feet set, but that he also has an excellent ability to hit shots on the move as well. He has the potential to be an elite shooter off the dribble and when running off of screens, which puts a lot of pressure on defenses to keep him in check. On a team with either an elite post player or a guard who can get into the paint off of dribble penetration, Porzingis' ability to stretch the floor and make difficult shots could be a huge weapon.

"

Croatian wing Mario Hezonja is another intriguing foreign prospect. 

"He's the only guy in this draft that someday could potentially win either the dunk contest or the three-point contest — or both — because he's a phenomenal athlete," ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said during the NBA combine (via Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press).

At 6'8", he has solid size for a small forward, a silky smooth shot and the sort of athleticism teams crave at the top of the draft. He's another player who could sneak his way into the top five. 

What happens once you get away from the top five or so picks is teams generally have to decide between huge upside and guaranteed results. Very few prospects after the top five selections offer both. Players like Kelly Oubre from Kansas, for example, offer a ton of upside. 

He's not alone in that regard, of course, as Stanley Johnson (who is probably the most polished in this group despite a solitary year at Arizona), Trey Lyles, Myles Turner and Kevon Looney each appear to have very high ceilings.

Then there are the players who showed a bit more on the court but have limited ceilings. Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker (who scouts and coaches would likely love if he were a bit more consistent) and Jerian Grant, to name a few, come to the NBA with more polished games.  

Oubre, in particular, is a fascinating case of upside and athleticism perhaps trumping, in the eyes of coaches and scouts, production on the court. He averaged just 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last year with the Jayhawks, but he was inconsistent and took awhile to adjust to the college game. 

Still, he has a natural stroke and the athleticism to not only be a force on the break, but also a very good defender at the next level. If he can polish his game in the coming years, Oubre could be a heck of a steal for a team picking in the No. 10-15 range.