2015 NBA Draft: Order for Rounds 1 and 2, Latest Predictions for Elite Prospects
With the lottery in the books, the long-suffering Minnesota Timberwolves finally wrapped up their first No. 1 pick in franchise history. It was the first time since 2004 that a team with the worst record secured the top selection. The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers round out the top three.
Now that we have an idea where the elite prospects might wind up, fans can begin to assess what the future might look like. Anticipation leading up to the NBA draft provides a lot of pipe dreams. Only the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers get to make those a reality, though.
Here is the full draft order as well as predictions for the elite prospects.
Predictions for Elite Prospects
Karl-Anthony Towns
The Kentucky big man is a consensus top-two pick in this draft along with Duke's Jahlil Okafor. For the Timberwolves at No. 1, they almost can't mess this up.
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Wolves are torn. Nice problem to have, huh?
Draft rumors just hours after the lottery have to be taken with a grain of salt. Smoke screens will be starting already, and it is impossible to know what teams are thinking. This is also one of the rare occasions where the top pick isn't such an obvious choice.
On paper, Towns is a perfect fit in Minnesota. The Wolves have to realize that as they go through this process. With Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng representing the core of the roster, the plan is clear.
Minny wants to run. It wants to be versatile and dynamic. Towns is exactly that. The Timberwolves couldn't ask for a better replacement for Kevin Love.
Jahlil Okafor
One of the more interesting tidbits to come out of lottery night was the fact that Minnesota might be the only team to prefer Okafor to Towns, once again according to Ford.
"Per Chad, Wolves might take Okafor over Towns. http://t.co/Lh4e4wsB9s pic.twitter.com/W6p9DluxdB
— Dan L (@KnicksFanBlog) May 19, 2015"
Minnesota's Flip Saunders is said to prefer Okafor over Towns for now, according to DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony (h/t Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk).
The 6'11" offensive juggernaut was supposedly prepared to host teams at his own private workout in California this week, but according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, that's no longer the case.
"Agent Bill Duffy just informed me that Okafor won't be a part of Duffy's client workouts in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thursday
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) May 20, 2015"
The main knock on the Duke freshman is his defense. Okafor was perhaps the most jaw-dropping offensive specimen in the NCAA last season but was a max effort player on defense only on occasion. With a 7'5" wingspan and 270-pound frame, that is not acceptable.
It is the big knock that could knock him down to No. 2, where the Lakers will surely be waiting with open arms. Whether it is Okafor or Towns, L.A. fans can start dreaming of the new Andrew Bynum-Pau Gasol-esque frontcourt of Okafor and Julius Randle.
What do the New York Knicks do at No. 4?
This draft truly had one loser. Just one.
The New York Knicks.
After starting the night with aspirations of cashing in on their 19.9 percent chance of landing the top pick, New York slid to fourth. No other team wound up selecting lower than it was projected to.
General manager Steve Mills represented New York at the lottery. His reaction upon hearing of his team's No. 4 pick summed up that of Knicks fans everywhere.
The obvious pick would likely be stud combo guard Emmanuel Mudiay out of the Congo, but a trade is already on the table, according to Ford.
Who might be willing to tango in trade negotiations is anybody's guess, but it is interesting that Ford brought up Justise Winslow's name. Mudiay could have been the top pick had he originally gone to SMU like he was slated to, but there is an element of mystery surrounding him now.
Couple that with the monstrous NCAA tourney that Winslow had for the national champion Duke Blue Devils, and the Knicks taking him at No. 4 suddenly seems like a real possibility. It's worth keeping an eye on, but this screams "smoke screen." Mudiay should still remain in the top four.
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