NBA Draft 2015: Official Order and Mock Draft Predictions for Top 30 Prospects

The Basketball gods have rarely smiled upon the state of Minnesota, but with the 2015 NBA draft lottery, a new era of hope has been delivered to Timberwolves fans via ping-pong ball.

On Tuesday night in New York City, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the last team pulled from a set of 14 comically oversized envelopes by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum in one of the rare occasions in sports where teams actually want to be last. 

It may seem an odd bit of trivia since the Timberwolves have the last two No. 1 overall picks—Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014)—on their roster, but this is actually the first time Minnesota has ever won the lottery, as Slam Magazine noted on Twitter:

As one might expect, there was more than a little celebration at Minnesota's draft headquarters following the big win:

But, there were 29 other teams affected by the night's mystical ping-pong ball Moirai, and each emerged from the night with a clearer plan for the future now that we have an official order to June's proceedings. 

The official first-round draft order is listed in the table below, accompanied by my own mock draft selections for each pick:

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

We're just over one month out from this year's draft, which will take place on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. So with the picks finally set, here are some of the key takeaways and storylines from the 2015 NBA draft lottery.

Will Towns and Okafor go Nos. 1-2?

Early indications and nearly every mock draft one can find has Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke's Jahlil Okafor going Nos. 1-2. 

The Timberwolves are set in the backcourt and on the wing with Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins. They need an interior presence.

Minnesota could opt to go with the beautiful, powerful offensive stylings of Okafor:

Or, maybe they fancy the versatile, higher-upside potential of Towns:

With Rubio running point, the continued development of uber-athlete LaVine and Wiggins' adroitness on the wing, I believe the Timberwolves will settle on Towns, who can provide excellent defense on traditional big men and those who stretch the floor while he works to develop an advanced offensive arsenal. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and Dan O'Brien view Towns as a good fit in Minnesota, which should make him the first player off the board next month:

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They’re desperate for frontcourt versatility, and Karl-Anthony Towns is their clear-cut best fit. He’ll help fill the squad’s need for interior defense while expanding its offensive options.

His stock climbed throughout the 2014-15 season because he emerged as Kentucky's most dangerous player on both ends. The freshman phenom covers ground swiftly, plays with dexterous skill and shows the smarts and coordination to improve. That's all anyone could want from a one-and-done frontcourt prospect.

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That's not to say Okafor is a lock to go to Los Angeles if Towns goes No. 1. The Lakers selected former Kentucky star Julius Randle No. 7 overall last season, though he unfortunately sat out most of his rookie season with a broken right leg.

Pairing Randle and Okafor might not be conducive to good floor spacing, a must in today's NBA—just look at the teams in the conference finals. With that weighing on their minds, the Lakers could opt for wing help in the form of D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.

Byron Scott and the Lakers have already made it clear that nabbing whichever big remains may not be their top draft priority, per the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan:

ESPN's Chad Ford also noted that perimeter help could be of supreme importance to L.A., especially with Kobe on his last legs and Jordan Clarkson not yet a knockdown distance shooter:

It would be difficult to pass on Okafor, an offensive talent who looks destined to be a 20-10 guy from the moment he steps on the court. But if the Lakers do surprise and pass over Okafor, he could tumble down to the Knicks at No. 4, considering the 76ers already have two young studs in Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid manning the post.  

That just seems like a New York pipe dream too good to be true, though. And speaking of New York...

Will the Knicks Keep Their Pick?

The Knicks entered the night with a 19.9 percent chance to claim the No. 1 overall pick. Instead, they tumbled out of the top three, landing at No. 4. 

Another blow for the Knicks and their hapless fans, and one which may change the entire complexion of the draft.

With New York likely out of the running for Okafor and Towns, Phil Jackson and Steve Mills will at least send some feelers out in regards to what kind of value they could receive for dealing the pick, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

Though, it's not as if there's no top-tier talent where New York is picking. One of the highly touted Emmanuel Mudiay-D'Angelo Russell guard tandem should still be on the board, along with Duke's Justise Winslow, Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein and two intriguing international prospects in Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja.

New York's free-agency blueprint will also factor heavily into what it decides to do with the pick, per ESPN's Ian O'Connor:

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Mills said the Knicks' decision at No. 4 will be significantly impacted by their plans in free agency, suggesting that the call won't be made strictly on best-available-player terms.

In describing the pending pick as a "complementary" piece, Mills didn't exactly summon the images of Ewing and other franchise-altering stars.

"

I'm not convinced the Knicks would be willing to part with the pick unless a no-brainer deal comes along. Missing out on Towns and Okafor is just one in a long line of Knicks mishaps, though neither player is necessarily destined to become the next Patrick Ewing at this point.

There are a number of All-Star-caliber big men the Knicks could choose to target this summer in free agency to help offset the sting of dropping to No. 4: Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap are all available as unrestricted free agents.

Expect the Knicks to take whichever guard is left over after Philadelphia picks, which in my mock draft scenario would be Mudiay.

Mudiay stands as possibly the biggest risk-reward player in the entire draft, considering his lofty status among analysts and scouts despite a small sample size of play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)—a league with some talent, though not exactly a bastion of basketball prowess. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and Dan O'Brien broke down the 19-year-old's game:

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The 6'5" prodigy is one of the riskiest commodities in the lottery, but his physical tools and playmaking potential are irresistible. A small sample of play in China was intriguing enough to earn top-five draft stock.

With electrifying slashing prowess and sneaky-good pick-and-roll instincts, Mudiay could quickly grow into a productive floor general. Although he has some learning to do, the material is there for him to become a top-tier point guard.

"

The Knicks are a wild card. What they choose to do, or not do, will send ripples throughout the entire draft, like a basketball butterfly effect. 

International Draft Roulette

There isn't a ton of international flavor at the top of this year's draft, but two names have been intriguing, and terrifying, scouts for several years: Mario Hezonja and Kristaps Porzingis. 

Porzingis is a human scarecrow grown to massive proportions. Though he weighs just 220 pounds, if that, the Latvian sharpshooter stands 7'1" with a wingspan in the range of 7'3" to 7'6", per NBA.com's Max Rappaport.

Porzingis has drawn comparisons to fellow European Dirk Nowitzki, and though scouts are prone to hyperbole, especially with Euro prospects, the 19-year-old has been steadily rising up draft boards all year after a strong showing in Spain's ACB, long considered one of the world's top professional basketball leagues.

Porzingis is a pill teams are unsure they want to swallow. His measurables, athleticism and shooting stroke have scouts drooling, but will it all translate to the NBA? 

Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling broke down what makes Porzingis so appealing and so alarming, all at once:

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"Zinger," as he's called overseas, is a stretch 4 who possesses athletic talents that few his size have: long arms, quick feet and explosive lift. "With our league obsessed so much with potential, his combination of age, upside and athletic abilities alone makes him a lottery candidate," a Western Conference international scout said. "But he's very hard to project and will not help you win games for at least a couple years."

"

NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper reported that Porzingis could break into the top four, rising as high as No. 2 overall:

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"He could go two," one general manager said. "He's that good. Nobody says anything bad about him."

Said the head of basketball operations for another team: "I think he's a lock for the top five and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go as high as top three. He's good. We all like to do our comparables. He's like Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol..... I'd take him ahead of (Jahlil) Okafor."

"

I'm not sure the Lakers would take an unknown commodity No. 2 overall. The fear of Kobe Bryant unleashing hell upon the front office should be enough to steer the Lakers in a different direction.

The 76ers don't need another big with the No. 3 pick, but Porzingis spaces the floor, unlike Embiid and Noel, and Philadelphia president and general manager Sam Hinkie is something of an evil genius/mad scientist. I still would expect Porzingis to fall outside of the top four selections, but a lot can happen in the month leading up to the draft.

This draft's other marquee international player might prove even more divisive than Zinger.

Mario Hezonja is another product of Spain's ACB league, though he has more of an American attitude and style of play.

Hezonja has displayed flashes of pure brilliance mixed with bouts of inconsistency as a 20-year-old in the pros, per Draft Express' Matt Kamalsky:

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Despite all his merits as a prospect, it is important to note that Hezonja is not without his flaws, which should come as no surprise considering he's just 20 years old. Playing on a short leash surrounded by talented veterans in Barcelona, the young wing posted his gaudy scoring efficiency numbers in a small role, as he averaged only 6.1 points per game and is still learning how to utilize his tremendous tools consistently.

Scoring in double-figures in 11 games but going scoreless in 10 others and playing sporadic minutes when Barcelona has had a full stable of healthy guards, Hezonja, like any young player competing against competition, has struggled with bouts of ineffectiveness. Hezonja's worst moments this season have come in situations where the intersection of his talent and confidence have led to him settling for difficult shots in the half court and looking to do too much with the ball in his hands in transition and on the pick and roll—something that is frowned upon far more in Europe from a player his age than it is in the States.

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NBA.com's David Aldridge ranked Hezonja as his No. 1 shooting guard in this year's draft. The confident 20-year-old took it one step further, per Aldridge:

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"If I was in college I would probably be the number one pick," he told the website Basketball Insiders earlier this year. Hezonja had an offer from Kentucky but opted to stay in Europe another year. Now, there's no one who expects he'll remain there.

"

He's a tremendous athlete, as the video below shows, and can be as aggressive attacking the rim as any player in the NBA not named Russell Westbrook:

Draft Express has Hezonja going No. 5 overall to the Magic, though I think he'll slip just a little past that, to the Pistons at No. 8. But it only takes one team willing to take the plunge, and there are plenty of desperate franchises in the top 10 of this year's draft.

Hidden Gems

Only five of the 10 players on this year's All-Rookie first and second teams were lottery selections.  

Jusuf Nurkic (No. 16), Bogdan Bogdanovic (No. 27), Jordan Clarkson (No. 46), Langston Galloway (Undrafted) and Nikola Mirotic (2011, No. 23) all represented great value picks by their individual franchises, especially Mirotic, who was stowed for several years in Spain before coming stateside. 

Teams picking late must hope to unearth gems amidst the muddy causeway that is the post-lottery draft. So, who are this year's potential gems?

Two buy-low candidates who will likely land somewhere in the middle to late first round are Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis and Murray State point guard Cameron Payne, both of whom finished in the top 20 among all NCAA players in player efficiency rating (PER), per Sports-Reference.com.

I have Portis going No. 17 to Milwaukee, while Payne lands in Houston with the No. 20 pick. 

Payne is an extraordinary playmaker, having led the NCAA in points produced (716) while finishing fourth in points produced per game (20.5), per Sports-Reference.com. Though he measured just 6'1.5" in shoes at the combine, his 6'7.25" wingspan helps mitigate his size disadvantage, similar to Hawks All-Star Jeff Teague. 

Payne has a quick first step that he uses in conjunction with a variety of hesitation moves. His court vision is superb, and he's shown a nice shooting stroke. 

Draft Express highlighted the strengths that make Payne such an intriguing prospect:

Bobby Portis had a phenomenal junior season, averaging 17.5 points on 53.9 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks en route to being named SEC Player of the Year.

Portis has good size (6'10.5" in shoes, 7'2" wingspan) and a nonstop motor. The 20-year-old is a scrappy competitor with the strength to back his brand of play. 

Draft Express loved his motor, versatility and feel for the game in their video breakdown of the Arkansas product:

Other potential late-round diamonds include Notre Dame's Jerian Grant, Utah's Delon Wright and Georgia State's R.J. Hunter.