NBA Mock Draft 2015: Predictions for Prospects Whose Stocks Are on the Rise
The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions, and that means the basketball world will be focusing all of its attention on the draft. It goes down on Thursday, June 25, and every team—including the Warriors—will be looking for a way to improve its roster.
That improvement may come from one of the fastest-rising prospects who is set to hear Commissioner Adam Silver call his name. The text of this mock draft will focus on three players whose stock has been on a steady rise. Their names are highlighted in the table below.
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Karl-Anthony Towns, PF, Kentucky |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia |
| 4 | New York Knicks | D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Justise Winslow, SF, Duke |
| 6 | Sacramento Kings | Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Frank Kaminsky, PF, Wisconsin |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn Nets) | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 18 | Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans) | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Myles Turner, C, Texas |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 22 | Chicago Bulls | Delon Wright, PG, Utah |
| 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State |
| 25 | Memphis Grizzlies | Christian Wood, PF, UNLV |
| 26 | San Antonio Spurs | Anthony Brown, SF, Stanford |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets) | Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV |
| 28 | Boston Celtics (from Los Angeles Clippers) | Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks) | Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Robert Upshaw, C, Washington |
Kristaps Porzingis
The hottest name in association with the NBA draft is easily Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia. The 7-footer has a blend of athleticism, size and a love for the game that is impressive. Truth be told, were he American and had played for the Duke Blue Devils or Kentucky Wildcats, he'd be in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
However, because he's from a European country, there's skepticism because of the failures of players like Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Darko Milicic. However, if you listen to the 19-year-old talk, barring injury, Porzingis doesn't sound like a kid who is going to be a bust.
Porzingis told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski this over dinner:
"The biggest thing for me – the thing that I think most about – is that you can get into the gym whenever you want here. They give you a card, or a key, and in the middle of the night, if you want to work out, you just go to the gym and get your work in – and I think that's amazing.
"
Surely, this young man has been trained on how to talk to teams and the media, but you couldn't ask for a better or more encouraging quote from a young prospect.
Early mock drafts had Porzingis going anywhere from eighth to 10th. The most recent mock from DraftExpress has him going third to the Philadelphia 76ers. We're inclined to believe that's possible, especially considering the negative news about the foot of the team's 2014 top pick, Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Minnesota Timberwolves veteran and future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett was impressed by what he saw of Porzingis. Per Wojnarowski, KG gave this report:
"I love his face-up game. He's got that mid-range shot. I've seen a lot of tape where he plays against guys like Shaq [O'Neal], a guy he can't bang inside with. So faces up, does his little step-back move ... Amazing."
Could Porzingis rise as high as No. 1 overall to Minnesota? I don't think he's hot enough to leapfrog Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor, but it would be a shock if the 76ers pass on him.
Cameron Payne
As point guard prospects in this year's draft go, most are ranking the Ohio State Buckeyes' D'Angelo Russell and international stud Emmanuel Mudiay far above the rest of the players at the position.
That might be disrespecting the Murray State Racers' Cameron Payne just a bit. Payne averaged 20.3 points and six assists per game this past season. Despite having a recent workout with the Denver Nuggets cut short due to a hand injury, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post says Payne's stock has been on the rise as he makes his way through the predraft workout scene.
The lefty is a quick scoring guard who also has great feel for the game. While he's not a speedster like Derrick Rose or John Wall, he's quick enough, very smart with the ball and can really shoot it from downtown.
As a sophomore in the 2014-15 season, Payne made just under 38 percent of his threes. The Sacramento Kings should give him a serious look at No. 6—assuming Mudiay and Russell are gone—but being selected at No. 11 by the Indiana Pacers could be a steal.
Devin Booker
At one point, Kentucky's Devin Booker looked like a late lottery selection. Questions about his athleticism were the major perceived drawbacks. After showing well at the NBA Draft Combine with the fastest agility testing (10.22 seconds), Booker isn't viewed as Gerald Green, but he also isn't looked at like an immobile defensive liability, either.
Booker could be a great fit for the Charlotte Hornets at No. 9.
Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports agrees:
"Booker is the best shooter available in the draft, which means the Hornets need to give him a serious look. He'd be a perfect fit next to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Walker, who really need shooting around them to continue to develop. He'd also help Jefferson a lot as well, as he'd allow him more room to operate in the paint. He'd be a slight reach here, but one that could potentially improve them next year.
"
The 18-year-old, who won't turn 19 until October 30, made 41 percent of his threes as a freshman.
If he is taken ninth, the Wildcats would have a great chance to see four players drafted in the lottery with Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Booker and Trey Lyles.
Measurement, age and stat references courtesy of DraftExpress unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
