NBA Mock Draft 2015: 1st-Round Predictions and Wild-Card Prospects to Watch
Now isn't the time to fall asleep on the NBA draft process.
The major landmarks on the path to the draft are over, sure, and the 2015 NBA Finals are the epic matchup worthy of a championship series the end-of-bracket affair hasn't seen in a quite a long time.
Those still aren't excuses to turn away from the draft, not in what seems like a historic, deep class for big men and with rebuilding franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers seeming poised to pull off major moves to get back in contention—moves sure to impact every team in free agency, too.
Below, let's take a look at a need-value mock before zooming in on a few lesser-known names to keep an eye on.
2015 NBA First-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 |
Prospects to Watch
Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
Kentucky big man Dakari Johnson was never going to match the hype of teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, and in a deep class when it comes to those who occupy the paint, he seems to have a hard time sticking out at all.
It's a tad strange, really. One doesn't need to be an expert to know Johnson was a bit lost outside the spotlight of others with the Wildcats, but he still averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game.
Best of all, Johnson comes pro-ready at 7'0" and 265 pounds, a package ESPN.com's Chad Ford says will get him in the first round:
"Johnson is another "safe" late first-round pick. No one thinks he'll be an NBA All-Star but his combination of size and strength make him an ideal NBA backup big man. With so many teams needing help off the bench in the middle, the likelihood he hears his name called somewhere in the late first round is high.
"
The "where" part of the equation should offer a bit of intrigue. Not only will it say a lot about how the pros feel concerning Johnson's future, but he's the type of rookie who can come in and change a franchise because he at least boosts the second unit so much.
Keep an eye on Johnson as the process continues. He's not a major name, but an important one.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson remains one of the more difficult prospects to figure out.
The former Wildcats star is a freak of nature from an athleticism standpoint, but concerns seem to crop up surrounding his shot, something Ford writes "is broken."
It's a fair point, as RHJ attempted just 39 shots from deep over two years in college, hitting just eight. He's used the predraft process to work on the issue, though.
“Just showing teams if I’m open, which is what teams will try to play me like and leave me open, I got to be able to knock that shot down,” RHJ told Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.com.
Still, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season on 50 percent shooting from the floor, so there's little doubt he can come in as a glue guy off the bench and provide a spark in other key areas.
In time, teams in the Association would like to see more conversions from deep and a newfound form, but what RHJ offers out of the gates continues to help playoff teams stay alive thanks to quality depth.
Just how much teams like RHJ and his potential upside will shine through based on where he comes off the board.
Delon Wright, PG, Utah
Folks tend to think of D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay and call it a day when it comes to point guards in the 2015 class.
It's a mistake, though, as pro-ready players such as Delon Wright pepper the middle of the first round. As a senior at Utah, Wright posted 14.5 points and 5.1 assists on average while shooting 51 percent from the floor and acting as a smart field general for his team.
Wright figures to find a lot of success at the pro level right away from an offensive standpoint. Even RHJ, hailed as one of the draft's top defenders, admits keeping pace with Wright was one of the more difficult things to do in college, as Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune captures:
"Delon, man, he's a really skilled player. You don't find a lot of 6-5, 6-6 point guards out there. I played against him for two years in the Pac-12, and it was a real challenge guarding him. He helped me become a better defender, because it was so tough to stay with him. I think he's going to have a good chance to be a really good player.
"
Wright isn't an elite athlete by any means, but there's a skill set in place for him to help off the bench at the next level right away.
Even with his age compared to some of the other top prospects, Wright figures to come off the board in the mid-first round. Teams might shy away due to his being 23 years old, but some won't, instead banking on his maturity and experience to take care of the ball and orchestrate an offense.
The team brave enough to invest a pick in Wright will prove one to watch next season, as the rotation figures to be much better right out of the gates and in the long run.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
