NBA Mock Draft 2015: Projections for Promising Prospects Following Lottery
Chance has spoken, awarding the Minnesota Timberwolves the first pick in this year's NBA draft.
A year after pawning Kevin Love for No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota overcame the lottery after finishing the 2014-15 campaign with the league's worst record. With another top talent joining Wiggins and Ricky Rubio, the Timberwolves have a bright future ahead, but not before spending the next month deliberating a tough, franchise-altering decision.
With the official order now set, let's take an early crack at mocking the opening round:
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State |
| 4 | New York Knicks | Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Congo |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Justise Winslow, SF, Duke |
| 6 | Sacramento Kings | Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Myles Turner, PF, Texas |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (from Nets) | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 18 | Houston Rockets (from Pelicans) | Kris Dunn, PG, Providence |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Malik Pope, SF, San Diego State |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State |
| 22 | Chicago Bulls | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 25 | Memphis Grizzlies | Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State |
| 26 | San Antonio Spurs | Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers (from Rockets) | Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky |
| 28 | Boston Celtics (from Clippers) | Christian Wood, PF, UNLV |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (from Hawks) | Jarell Martin, PF, LSU |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia |
Those who didn't luck out Tuesday night need not panic. Landing the first pick is always nice, but this is far from a one-person draft.
For those missing out on Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, these prospects provide satisfying consolation prizes among potential lottery selections.
D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State
Those residing in the NBA's basement spent the season tanking for Towns or jobbing for Jahlil. Yet there's nothing wrong with playing like rubbish for D'Angelo Russell.
The Ohio State guard called himself "the best player in the draft" to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. Although a gifted two-way player and passer, he faces questions about his athletic ability and tweener status. He doesn't see either deterring his claim, per Mannix.
“What I’ve heard is ‘Is he athletic enough to play in the NBA?’ not just point guard,” Russell said. “I can give you numerous guys who aren’t athletic who are successful. We’ll just have to see.”
Those concerns have painted the 19-year-old as a low-ceiling top choice compared to the big men. His all-around play also makes him a safer choice on paper, but ESPN's Myron Medcalf instead views Russell as an X-factor:
Landing the No. 3 pick, the Philadelphia 76ers are perfectly positioned to grab Russell. After compiling assets for years, it'd be nice to grab a rookie ready to play and contribute immediately for a change.
Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
Russell isn't the only prospect touting himself above everyone else. Arizona's Stanley Johnson made the same claim to reporters during the NBA Draft Combine, per MassLive.com's Jay King:
It's doubtful any NBA front office agrees with that sentiment, but the forward will contend for a top-10 nod on June 25. Measured at 6'6" and 242 pounds, per NBA.com, Johnson is a beast who makes the most of his massive frame on the defensive end.
Along with snatching 1.5 steals per game his freshman year, he helped Arizona record KenPom.com's third-best adjusted defensive rating. His versatility guarding all positions will attract attention, especially with the defensively challenged Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons sitting at picks No. 7 and 8, respectively.
He doesn't, however, boast the offensive upside to validate his self-evaluation. Then again, coaches can teach shooting mechanics, not size. An improved jumper would make him a dangerous option, even if he's a glue guy rather than a star.
Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
Drawing praise as one of the class' best shooters, Devin Booker netted a 41.1 three-point percentage during his lone collegiate year at Kentucky. No matter the system, all teams want guys who can put the ball in the basket.
Shooters will never go out of style, and that valuable skill has the 18-year-old guard soaring up draft boards, per Mannix:
Booker also helped his stock with strong showings during combine drills. The NBA draft's Twitter page captured his noteworthy agility run:
Having collected 17 steals and two blocks through 817 minutes for the Wildcats, he also possesses limited defensive upside, not that he projects as a tremendous liability there. As someone who will make his living as a spot-up shooting specialist, he won't create much scoring on his own either.
Booker drawing top-10 buzz either speaks to this year's lack of game-changing prospects or the league's growing appreciation of spacing. All four teams remaining in the playoffs placed in the top five of three-pointers made this season, with the recently eliminated Los Angeles Clippers rounding out the list.
If he can make an impact behind the arc, Booker will become a viable contributor at the pro level.
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