NBA Draft 2015: Latest Mock Draft for 1st-Round Prospects Following NBA Finals
Now that the Golden State Warriors have wrapped up an exciting 2015 NBA Finals, the focus can return to where it's been over the last several months in the upcoming draft.
While some of the league's best teams have been battling on center stage over the postseason, teams sitting in not-so-ideal positions have watched with the prospect of pushing their teams closer to that pinnacle. The best chance for that comes in Round 1 of the draft, when lottery teams can nab franchise-changing talents and high-potential athletes are everywhere to be found.
Those picking with the first 14 selections have only known their draft positions for about a month, but they have already had plenty of time to choose—and indicate—which way they're planning to go. With that in mind, let's make a prediction for each team just over a week before the action unfolds at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
2015 NBA Mock Draft
| 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 | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Mario Hezonja, SG, Croatia |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Myles Turner, C, Texas |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn Nets) | Frank Kaminsky, PF, Wisconsin |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 18 | Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans) | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 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) | Chris McCollugh, PF, Syracuse |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks) | Jarell Martin, PF, LSU |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Jonathan Holmes, SF, Texas |
3. Philadelphia 76ers: Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
Just like many years past, a European sensation is lighting up draft boards and causing general managers atop the board to ponder their choices even more. But this time, the hype just might be warranted.
Kristaps Porzingis' game is as real as it gets. The 19-year-old, 7'1" Latvian has been playing in Spain's top league at the center and power forward positions while showing incredible versatility, surprising athleticism and—most importantly—a deadly mid-range jumper with which he can stretch the floor.
He didn't work out in the United States for the first time until recently, but GMs came away salivating at the prospect's talents, per ESPN's Chad Ford:
Of course, there's a stigma that follows some European unknowns after the unsuccessful ventures of players like Darko Milicic, Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Andrea Bargnani, who were picked enormously high. But those thoughts only motivate Porzingis to be closer to a Dirk Nowitzki mold and prove the stigma wrong, as he told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
"They’ll say, this guy is a bust. He’ll be Tskitishvili, this Georgian guy. Bargnani, Darko … That’s why I am talking, because I want the fear to go away with me. I want people to get to know me. I don’t want to be the mystery man from Europe.
"
Porzingis is not much of a mystery man anymore, as those making the decisions atop the draft are seeing firsthand just how dangerous of a player he is. And one team that likes high-potential players with that level of upside is the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers may already have invested a lot into the frontcourt of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, but a setback on Embiid that may keep him out of 2015-16, per the Philadephia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, could force Philly's hand. After all, Porzingis would fit magnificently alongside Noel if the former Kentucky big man can settle in at center and not power forward.
9. Charlotte Hornets: Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
Those who want to know the value of a knockdown shooter with impeccable range in today's NBA just got a close-up glimpse of it as Stephen Curry lit up the NBA Finals. For those GMs looking for similar deep-range ability in this year's draft, Devin Booker is one of the first names mentioned, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders noted:
While Kentucky's near-perfect season was built upon a stacked team of contributors, Booker emerged as the greatest perimeter scoring threat and even the go-to scorer at times. The 18-year-old uses his lanky 6'6" frame to create open looks over defenders, as well as clog up passing lanes on defense himself.
As for the Hornets, they got the headache that was Lance Stephenson off their roster as he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Now there's a gaping hole on the perimeter that can be filled with what it was supposed to be filled with all along—a space-making shooter who has the lengthiness to defend and create.
Can you imagine a backcourt with Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist having a knockdown shooter like Booker to work with? Not to mention the impact it will have on Al Jefferson's space to operate down low. This could be a selection that truly takes Charlotte to the next level.
11. Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner, C, Texas
When Larry Bird says entering the offseason that he wants the Pacers to "play a little faster tempo" and "play a little smaller," per Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner, he means it. The same can be said when he decidedly stated that Roy Hibbert's role will be diminished, per Buckner.
While Hibbert and David West are likely to remain with player options on large contracts, Bird and the Pacers have a golden opportunity to add a future star on a rookie-scale contract. Picking at No. 11, they could do no better than Texas' versatile big man Myles Turner.
Unlike an anchor like Hibbert, Turner is a signature type of mobile big who can run the floor, defend multiple positions and score in multiple ways. With that said, his impact in protecting the rim is also strong, and he seems to be putting his talents on display, as ESPN's Fran Fraschilla observed:
Turner already worked out for the Pacers along with Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky, so they have seen up close what he can offer to a team that desperately needs some young formidability in the post. Fitting perfectly into what Indiana is aiming to do in the coming seasons, Turner will be the guy.
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