NBA Mock Draft 2015: Latest Top Prospects' Stock Watch and 1st-Round Predictions
As the days in the way of the 2015 NBA draft bleed away and the suits get closer to marching to the podium to welcome the next generation, the stock market is anything but silent.
Teams won't stop working the phones, interviews, big boards, film and other scouting tools until the draft concludes, which then just means those same folks can get right to preliminary work on the 2016 class.
It's a beast of a job, and for fans in this era of maximum information—sometimes right on down to what a prospect ate for breakfast—it can be just as hard to keep up with all the info as it is for those putting in the work.
So let's reel it in with a mock draft covering the stock market and team need.
2015 NBA 1st-Round Mock Draft
| 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 |
Latest Top Prospects' Stock Watch
Stock Up: Myles Turner, C, Texas
It's been a long road to stock recovery for Myles Turner, the hyped Texas big man who led a disappointing campaign with Texas as a freshman.
Many thought Turner would lead the Longhorns to a deep Big Dance run and the like, but instead he received an odd average of just 22.2 minutes per game, to which he responded with averages of 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
Still, time heals all wounds, and so does impressing NBA teams in interviews and workouts. One Association general manager tells ESPN.com's Chad Ford why Turner's stock rests on the upswing after the NBA Draft Combine:
"He's a long 7-footer who can stretch the floor and really protect the rim. He was up-and-down as a freshman. He's not ready, etc. But the upside? It's big. People forget he was ranked No. 2 [in high school] for a reason. He has time to get better. But what Turner has you can't teach. I think there's some risk there, but the upside is tremendous.
"
It's easy to forgive odd usage in college when it comes to a big man so ripe for a long role in the NBA if he lands in the right situation.
Turner can come in right away and act as a defensive enforcer. In time, as the general manager notes, he can be so much more for a team willing to groom his skill set.
Neutral: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky
Get this—there's a prospect who can sit out the combine and not face any negative repercussions in the stock department whatsoever.
Many dream of such a status, but Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns owns it.
At 6'11" and 250 pounds after averages of 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.3 blocks per game, the Wildcats' big man could afford to sit out the predraft festivities.
Ford provides analysis of his own detailing the saga:
"Towns didn't show up to the combine. No interviews, no medical, no measurements, nothing. And his absence won't do anything to hurt his draft stock. In fact, of the roughly 100 NBA front-office people and scouts I spoke with over the past week in Chicago, all but a small handful of them had Towns as the No. 1 pick. Barring a late injury (see Joel Embiid last year) he's looking more and more like a lock to be the No. 1 pick.
"
Nothing seems a lock in this draft, but Towns coming off the board within the first two picks despite the presence of perhaps four or five prospects deserving the honor seems correct.
By far the best defensive big man in the draft, Towns can impact the pro level on both ends of the court right away. He's not as polished on the offensive end as Duke's Jahlil Okafor, but few have been in quite a long time, so it's a small point.
It's all quiet when it comes to Towns, and unlike for most prospects, the radio silence isn't a bad thing.
Stock Up: Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
Tyus Jones captured the minds of the globe in the Big Dance after averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals as a freshman in total.
The consistent broadcast chatter about his leadership and maturity rang true at the combine, too, as Ford writes: "Jones walks away with the award for most impressive interviews at the combine."
It's a major win Jones needs to stick around in the mid-first round, as scouts aren't thrilled with his size at 6'2" and 185 pounds, nor with his lack of stunning athleticism perhaps necessary to thrive in a starting role at the next level.
Jones continues to impress in the predraft process, though, as Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News notes:
Even so, Jones may not even break into the top four at the position in the first round, with Murray State's Cameron Payne and Notre Dame's Jerian Grant also serious candidates in the area.
At the least, though, Jones has inserted himself into the conversation and teams can't ignore him. It's a major win given his stock before the process, placing him in a position to shock the world again.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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