NBA Mock Draft 2015: 1st-Round Projections and Prospects Shaking Up Stock Market

Like many things in the Association this time of year, the NBA draft's stock market is all over the place.

While the NBA Draft Combine spectacle in the Windy City is over, the last-ditch effort by teams to construct the perfect board includes workouts, interviews and more film analysis than ever.

Of course, this impacts the stock market. There are risers, fallers, there-and-back-again prospects and more as the rather short wait for the draft begins to feel like a year's worth of thumb twiddling.

Below, let's look at a fresh mock and highlight some of the biggest stock-movers, all of whom don't figure to be done moving in any direction just yet.

2015 NBA First-Round Mock Draft  

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Karl-Anthony Towns, PF, Kentucky
3	Philadelphia 76ers	Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China
4	New York Knicks	D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State
5	Orlando Magic	Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
6	Sacramento Kings	Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
7	Denver Nuggets	Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
8	Detroit Pistons	Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
9	Charlotte Hornets	Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas
10	Miami Heat	Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia
11	Indiana Pacers	Frank Kaminsky, PF, Wisconsin
12	Utah Jazz	Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin
13	Phoenix Suns	Myles Turner, C/PF, Texas
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Cameron Payne, SG, Murray State
15	Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn Nets)	Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
16	Boston Celtics	Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
18	Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans)	Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
19	Washington Wizards	Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
20	Toronto Raptors	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
21	Dallas Mavericks	Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
22	Chicago Bulls	Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville
23	Portland Trail Blazers	Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
25	Memphis Grizzlies	Robert Upshaw, C, Washington
26	San Antonio Spurs	Delon Wright, PG, Utah
27	Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets)	R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
28	Boston Celtics (from Los Angeles Clippers)	Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia
29	Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks)	Rakeem Christmas, PF, Syracuse
30	Golden State Warriors	Christian Wood, PF, UNLV

Prospects Shaking Up Stock Market

Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia

When it comes to international stars in the lottery this year, it's easy to focus on Kristaps Porzingis and call it a day.

It's the wrong move, though, especially thanks to the presence of Mario Hezonja.

The Croatian native stands at 6'7" and 200 pounds with great athleticism and has no issue stepping back behind the three-point line and knocking down shots at a consistent clip.

In fact, the hype is enough to have some thinking Hezonja could wind up coming off the board higher than Porzingis and Duke's Justise Winslow, as ESPN.com's Chard Ford points out while detailing his situation: 

"

After speaking with NBA scouts and GMs it's still very possible that Hezonja could end up being taken ahead of both Porzingis and Winslow. But will they draft him without the ability to work him out and interview him? Hezonja probably is stuck in Spain through the rest of the draft process because of his commitments to FC Barcelona. It's going to take a GM who is willing to take a risk to draft him above those two.

"

Perception seems to be key. It's a "what if?" game with Hezonja centered on how he would perform in the NCAA and if it impacts the hype around his stock.

The bottom line, though, seems simple: He can spread out defenses with his shooting and play strong defense, making him the perfect sleeper candidate both on draft day and as a rookie.

Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

Now for the case of there and back again.

For quite a long time, Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein was right up there with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor near the top three but fell off after averaging 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks and earning the reputation as a prospect who struggles on the offensive end of the court.

Which might not be such a bad thing.

Few can have the offensive prowess of Okafor this year, but ditto for Cauley-Stein's abilities on the defensive end. "He could be the best defender the league someday. He has abilities, both physically and the way he reads the defense, that I've never seen in a prospect," an NBA general manager told Ford.

At 7'1" and 242 pounds, teams can't teach Cauley-Stein's size or ability to protect the rim, not to mention the sheer athleticism to keep up with bigger players who can run around or the on-court IQ capable of always keeping him in the right place.

Cauley-Stein is on the rise once again, and a team willing to groom his weaknesses gets an instant contributor.

R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia St.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

There are not a ton of notable pure shooting guards in first-round projections after Kentucky's Devin Booker, but Georgia State's R.J. Hunter continues to climb the list.

Hunter spent three seasons with the Panthers and averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his final year. At 6'6" and 185 pounds, he touts the IQ and deep range to help pro teams right out of the gates.

Further film study of the small-school prospect helps Hunter's stock, as do his lofty aspirations after a strong showing at the combine, per Ford:

"

His hero is Stephen Curry, and like Curry, he's hoping to develop into a point guard as well. His 3.7 assists per game this season, combined with his high basketball IQ and good ball handling skills could make him more of a Klay Thompson or James Harden-type player in the pros. The GMs I spoke to on Tuesday have him ranked between No. 12 and No. 21 on their boards. If he shoots the ball well, he'll end up in the lottery.

"

So far, Hunter is the model for success for a lesser-known player, providing scouts with great film all year long even though defenses did everything they could to shut him down, then followed up with solid workouts and interviews.

There's a place in the league for Hunter right away, even more so than in past years thanks to the current emphasis on shooting thanks to his hero and others. It's hard to imagine Hunter's stock swings down, but climbing more doesn't seem out of the question.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.