NBA Mock Draft 2015: Predictions for Prospects Poised to Shake Up 1st Round

The closer the 2015 NBA draft inches, the wilder the whispers around it become.

This rings true for any year, of course. With the NBA Finals nearing a conclusion and major draft landmarks such as the NBA Draft Combine complete, the final month or so of waiting feels like triple the amount of time and prospects rise and fall down draft boards in dramatic fashion.

Believe the hype for some of the more notable names of the period. Each year, prospects garner more attention than usual in this down period, when scouts remain hard at work.

Here's an updated set of projections, with some of the key disruptive names to know outlined below.

2015 NBA 1st-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	Cameron Payne, SG, Murray State
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	Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas
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	Richaun Holmes, PF, Bowling Green
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 Poised to Shake Up 1st Round 

Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Just how much will an NBA team sacrifice for elite shooting?

Given the performances of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the NBA Finals, it might be quite a lot, which brings Kentucky's Devin Booker into the spotlight.

BasketballInsiders.com's Steve Kyler puts it best:

At 6'6" and 206 pounds, Booker looks the part. He shot 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep as a freshman with averages of 10.0 points and 1.1 assists per game.

While not a complete package by any means—he's a catch-and-shoot sort of player who won't blow by defenders with the ball in his hands—it's clear the Association finds itself at a point where there's a premium on sheer shooting.

For this reason alone, Booker stands tall as one of the most disruptive elements available in the first round. His shooting might mean a lottery berth, which means teams wanting him need to scramble and teams looking elsewhere might have a prospect they like fall down the board.

Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia

While far from a household name, Kristaps Porzingis continues to do his best to become one by the workout.

By the majority of accounts, Porzingis continues to blow away scouts once they get to see him on the hard court. He's 6'11" and 220 pounds with a sweet shooting touch, a versatile skill set most teams drool over because it's a rare commodity.

Per Kyler, scouts continue to swoon:

"

Kristaps Porzingis did really well for himself today in Vegas - scouts saw a lot they liked. Some say may be best future pro in the draft

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 13, 2015"

Just how high can the Latvia native go?

Try No. 2, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein:

Now, it's not so hard to see why Porzingis shines in this dead period. He's making a name for himself as he makes the rounds, front and center without a large pond of water separating him from the Association.

After months, if not years of thinking this draft features Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor in the top two picks, it's wild to think Porzingis could be the guy to break up the party.

It might be a thought worth digesting, though, as a rare skill set tends to help prospects make such a rise. If there's a top wild-card name to watch, it's Porzingis.

Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Forwards aren't a tough thing to find this year, as the spot rests as the deepest in the class.

Of course, this doesn't mean a lesser-known name can't come in and shake things up. Take UCLA's Kevon Looney, for example, a prospect whose stock remains all over the place, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford writes:

"

Looney's draft stock might be the most fluid of anyone in our top 30. Teams are either hot or cold on him. There doesn't seem to be much in between. I had a couple of teams tell me he was a lock for the top 10 (one had him at No. 5 on their board) and I had several tell me that he was a late first-rounder (one had him as low as 30).

"

The clouds around the former Bruins star might continue to clear as the draft approaches, though.

One of the knocks on Looney was fitness and a potential bout of asthma, something Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears says doesn't concern scouts anymore:

If most of the league feels this way, Looney's market will pick up in a big way.

He touts good size at 6'9" and 222 pounds after shooting 47 percent from the floor with averages of 11.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a freshman.

As a do-it-all forward who can make his mark in the pros on the defensive end of the court right away, Looney's ability to clear up questions about his stock means an old adage comes into play—the sky's the limit.

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