2015 NBA Mock Draft: 1st Round Predictions and Biggest Boom or Bust Prospects

You're going to see a ton of mock drafts over the next month. It's an exciting time to be a basketball fan, but a big swing and a miss in the NBA draft will quickly spoil a fanbase's joy.

Obviously we can only know so much leading up to the draft. During the evaluation process, teams will dissect every aspect of each player's game and personality to avoid being that squad that strikes out at the podium. Certain teams can afford to swing for the fences, but drafting a bust is particularly devastating for those perennial lottery teams who are just trying to make it out of that top 14.

Potential is a horrifying thing, folks. Optimists will see potential in every player in this draft, which is natural since every player is an incredible talent. Not every guy can adapt to the pros, where a lifetime of dominance comes to a halt. For the first time in almost all these players' careers, they have to adapt to coexisting with guys on their levels. The ones who can do that carve out a niche in this league in some capacity, whether it be as a star or a role player. The ones who can't? Those are your boom or bust prospects.

Here is the full first round mock draft, along with analysis on which guys scream boom or bust.

Pick	Team	Selection
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	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
8	Detroit Pistons	Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia
9	Charlotte Hornets	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
10	Miami Heat	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
11	Indiana Pacers	Myles Turner, C, Texas
12	Utah Jazz	Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin
13	Phoenix Suns	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas
15	Atlanta Hawks	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
16	Boston Celtics	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
18	Houston Rockets	Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
19	Washington Wizards	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
20	Toronto Raptors	Cliff Alexander, PF, Kansas
21	Dallas Mavericks	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
22	Chicago Bulls	Delon Wright, PG, Utah
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia
25	Memphis Grizzlies	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
26	San Antonio Spurs	Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV
27	Los Angeles Lakers	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
28	Boston Celtics	Chris McCollough, PF, Syracuse
29	Brooklyn Nets	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV
30	Golden State Warriors	Norman Powell, SG, UCLA

Emmanuel Mudiay

The subplot of this draft has been that there are four main superstar prospects who stand out above the rest. These guys have been the consensus top four picks for quite some time now, but one is not as safe as the others.

This uneventful draft lottery stood out in stark contrast to those of years' past. For the first time since 2004, the team with the worst record got the first pick. The Lakers jumped up to No. 2, while every other team except one winded up selecting exactly where they were projected to. Only the New York Knicks got screwed.

There were no frozen envelopes this time!

New York is now looking at the fourth pick and would have a difficult time justifying not going with Mudiay. It needs a point guard, and Mudiay has been drawing John Wall comparisons for a few years. But there is uncertainty now after he spent his past year over in China. Being a no-show at the draft combine did not quell any doubts, either.

His strengths are still apparent - elite athleticism and length - but how does his horrendous outside shooting play into the triangle? He is also more of a passer by necessity, and not as much of a willing playmaker as you'd like to see.

He features a 6'9" wingspan on his 6'5" frame, which couples with his athleticism to form an impossible-to-ignore point guard prospect. That being said, he is more potential than impact right now. His ball-handling, decision making and shooting all need a ton of work. They could turn him into the next John Wall, or these skills could never materialize.

For a big market team in dire need of making a splash, it makes it that much more important for New York to strike gold with the fourth pick. Mudiay could be a gem, or he could always be nothing more than a bundle of potential.

Kristaps Porzingis

Teams just won't stop trying to use lottery picks to find the next Dirk Nowitzki.

Porzingis is the latest example of a big European with a next-level set of skills. Forgive me for being wary since it has nothing to do with Porzingis as a player, but the track record of players like him is not good at all.

In recent years, you have success stories like Jonas Valanciunas and Danilo Gallinari. Valanciunas is steadily improving, and may one day live up to his No. 4 draft selection. Gallinari was the sixth pick, and has been a good player in this league.

For every Valanciunas, you have five Yi Jianlians, Bismack Biyombos and Jan Veselys. So what makes Porzingis different?

Teams love stretch 4s these days, and the 7'1" Porzingis can be exactly that. He has deep range and a versatile offensive skill set. He also loves to run the floor and shows plenty of aggression, which indicates he won't be satisfied settling into a reserve role in this league. At just 220 pounds, he will have to learn to become more physical on defense, but the intangibles are there for him to become a great player.

I will believe it when I see it with Porzingis. He can bring it offensively, but guys his size have to be able to lock guys down on defense. Porzingis also struggles as a rebounder and doesn't finish with authority around the rim. He is too much Andrea Bargnani/Meyers Leonard and not enough Dirk Nowitzki.

 Myles Turner

The Texas big man might be more boom or bust than anyone else in this field. He landed in Austin as the nation's No. 2 recruit, right behind Jahlil Okafor and ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns.

At 6'11", the issues that plague him are odd. His athleticism turned out to be a bit more of a question than originally thought, as he has a gawky running style and still appears to be growing into his massive frame.

Turner also fell in love with his jumper at Texas, a trend that could continue for him. He hoisted nearly two threes a game, but converted only 27.4 percent of them. Given the fact that he made 83.9 percent from the line, he should be attacking the rim more. Nobody with his size and 7'4" wingspan should live behind the arc.

He comes across as a guy who could dominate in spurts, but will struggle mightily against stronger players. He did a lot of his damage during his freshman year against weak opponents, while getting crushed by Kentucky, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Turner has all the tools of an elite defender, but having slow feet is a legitimate concern. He was able to get by in college on his enormous wingspan to block shots, but skinny stretch 4s have to at least be able to move if they can't body people up.

Any team selecting Turner knows it is taking on a huge risk. He was still the No. 2 prospect in his class, but he needs a lot of work to maximize his potential. Turner could fall anywhere in between LaMarcus Aldridge to Serge Ibaka, or he could wind up floundering completely.

follow Justin on Twitter @Hussington