2015 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Most Surprising Prospects

The 2015 NBA draft picture remains hazy. With late workouts and interviews, prospects seem to be rising and falling on draft boards as frequently as a seesaw. 

June 25 will provide all the answers. But for now, let's take a look at the latest mock draft and which picks may come as a surprise to the league and its fans.

Pick	Team	Player/Position	School	Note
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	Karl-Anthony Towns, C	Kentucky	Towns' ability to play effective defense puts him over Okafor.
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Jahlil Okafor, C	Duke	The Lakers need help everywhere. The best low-post player in the NCAA last season will help.
3	Philadelphia 76ers	Kristaps Porzingis, PF	Latvia	Porzingis' stellar Las Vegas workout will basically force the Sixers to take the big man.
4	New York Knicks	D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG	Ohio State	The Knicks are high on Porzingis, but a point guard for a franchise that hasn't had a worthy starter since Marbury will be a great prize.
5	Orlando Magic	Mario Hezonja, SG/SF	Croatia	The Magic need a shooting playmaker with size. Hezonja is the next-best option after Porzingis.
6	Sacramento Kings	Emmanuel Mudiay, PG	Congo	Porzingis' rise hurts Mudiay the most. The Kings need a PG, which ensures he won't wait too long.
7	Denver Nuggets	Justise Winslow, SG/SF	Duke	Winslow's wing play brings a whole new dimension to the Nuggets offense.
8	Detroit Pistons	Sam Dekker, SF	Wisconsin	Dekker makes a huge jump from the last mock draft after the Pistons sign Ersan Ilyasova. They will be looking to fill the shooting, small forward gap.
9	Charlotte Hornets	Devin Booker, SG	Kentucky	After dealing Lance Stephenson for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes, the Hornets will need shooting, not size. Booker is their man.
10	Miami Heat	Willie Cauley-Stein, C	Kentucky	The Heat are gifted one of the best down-low defensive players in the draft. He could go sixth to Sacramento.
11	Indiana Pacers	Cameron Payne, PG	Murray State	If Payne doesn't go to the Pacers, he is going 14th to the Thunder. But his playmaking ability and the possibility of pairing him with Paul George are too good to pass up.
12	Utah Jazz	Frank Kaminsky, PF/C	Wisconsin	Shooting has become a priority for the Jazz, who already have a solid frontcourt in Gobert and Favors. But Kaminsky could provide great stretch play.
13	Phoenix Suns	Myles Turner, PF/C	Texas	Turner's ability to run the floor can help develop Phoenix's frontcourt
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	Stanley Johnson, SF	Arizona	Johnson falls a bit to Oklahoma City, which won't get its man in Payne. But his defense and athleticism are still helpful for the Thunder.
15	Atlanta Hawks	Trey Lyles, PF	Kentucky	The Hawks need some help under the basket. Lyles' skill set and offensive mind will be great fits in Atlanta.
16	Boston Celtics	Kelly Oubre, SF	Kansas	The Celtics will be short at the 4 in the next few years. Oubre can score and play defense.
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Bobby Portis, PF	Arkansas	The dealing of Ilyasova makes Portis' acquisition even more important. The Bucks need a true big man at the 4.
18	Houston Rockets	Jerian Grant, PG/SG	Notre Dame	The Rockets don't want to repeat a Jason Terry-Pablo Prigioni platoon if Patrick Beverley goes down again. Grant will make for a solid backup option.
19	Washington Wizards	Tyus Jones, PG	Duke	Jones will be a nice fit working with John Wall and Bradley Beal and will add another athletic dimension to the backcourt.
20	Toronto Raptors	Kevon Looney, SF/PF	UCLA	The Raptors might be in need of a power forward with this pick if Amir Johnson walks during free agency. Looney will be their man.
21	Dallas Mavericks	Delon Wright, PG/SG	Utah	Wright's size will make him eligible to play the 2 in Dallas, which will need a versatile shooter. R.J. Hunter is also an option here.
22	Chicago Bulls	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF	Arizona	The Bulls might miss out on their backup point guard options. If so, they'll look for help on the wing.
23	Portland Trail Blazers	R.J. Hunter, SG	Georgia State	Hunter can develop into a spot-up shooter who could be lethal in the Western Conference.
24	Cleveland Cavaliers	Montrezl Harrell, PF	Louisville	Plenty of question marks will arise with the Cleveland frontcourt this season. Harrell can help add depth if there are players on the way out.
25	Memphis Grizzlies	Justin Anderson, SF	Virginia	Anderson is a great shooter and able to provide good value at the 3. His availability becomes especially important if the Grizzlies lose Jeff Green.
26	San Antonio Spurs	Rashad Vaughn, SG	UNLV	All of the Spurs' shooting guards are free agents this season. Vaughn helps bring depth and a threat from the wing.
27	Los Angeles Lakers	Delon Wright, PG	Utah	The Lakers might find their 2 in Jimmy Butler and will look to find a long-term point guard if Jeremy Lin leaves.
28	Boston Celtics	Terry Rozier, PG	Louisville	While they get one of the best athletes at 16, the Celtics will get their floor general at 28.
29	Brooklyn Nets	Dakari Johnson, C	Kentucky	The Nets will be in need of big men to maintain a looming presence when Brook Lopez is off the floor.
30	Golden State Warriors	Jordan Mickey, F	LSU	The Warriors seem to be set for the future. But they could use a big man to replace David Lee when he leaves.

Porzingis' Rise Continues

It isn't often people feel great leaving Las Vegas. But for Kristaps Porzingis, a workout last week in Sin City might make him a wealthy man, as seen in the video above by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.

Porzingis has shown he is capable of being a multifaceted offensive force. His size gives him an advantage down low, and the 7'1" center can shoot from any spot on the floor.

His workout was so impressive that there was talk of him going in the top two in the draft. Pompey, who was at the workout, heard the praise sent Porzingis' way:

The skill sets of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor will deny Porzingis that honor, but he could go to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3. If not, the New York Knicks will snap him up at No. 4.

Mudiay Drops to 6th

Sam Forencich/Getty Images

It is not an enormous fall, but Emmanuel Mudiay was a projected top-three pick for a long time leading up to the draft. It seems Porzingis' big Las Vegas workout will hurt Mudiay's draft stock. 

But Mudiay is an exceptional offensive talent and has been for quite some time.

Southern Methodist University basketball coach Larry Brown told Howie Kussoy of the New York Post that he saw great potential in Mudiay when the player was 15 years old:

"

I didn't even realize he was so young because he was so skilled and so physically gifted. He thought pass-first and he was way beyond his years in the way he played. I got excited about him. ... I made the comment that he was the best young point guard I’d ever seen, and I feel bad that I said that, but he kind of blew me away.

"

Mudiay is one of the best point guard talents in the draft and will be competing with Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell to be a top-five pick. The two players are similarly built. Russell is a great distributor who can develop as a floor general. Mudiay plays more of a possession game, never driving toward the basket.

Russell's vision might put him ahead of Mudiay, and if that's the case, he will fall into the lap of the Sacramento Kings. Though the Kings are high on Willie Cauley-Stein, according to Nate Linhart of the Sacramento Sun Times, they will not be able to pass up Mudiay.

Sam Dekker Enters the Top 10

Randy Belice/Getty Images

If the Orlando Magic choose Mario Hezonja with the No. 5 pick, there is a good chance the Detroit Pistons will take Wisconsin's Sam Dekker at No. 8. 

The Pistons are in need of shooting help, especially on the wings. While Hezonja has the size and skill the Pistons need, it is not guaranteed he will make it to eighth. 

With the Pistons' acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova from the Milwaukee Bucks, they now need a shooting presence on the wing—either a shooting guard or small forward. Dekker could be the best available hybrid who can play both the 2 and 3. He is capable of stroking the three, but his game needs to develop.

In an interview with the Atlanta Hawks' website, RotoWire's Nick Whalen explained some of Dekker's weaknesses:

"

By far the biggest knock on Dekker is his inconsistent play during the regular season. He was probably already a household name before the Tournament, but that's when he truly burst onto the scene as a potential lottery pick. My concern, as someone whose watched nearly all of his regular season games over the past few years, is that much of the national audience only saw those explosive performances against North Carolina, Arizona and Kentucky.

"

Talking with Brendan Savage of MLive.com, Dekker sees himself as a good fit with the Pistons:

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I like getting up and down. Detroit plays a free-flowing system that gets up and down and has some good athletes. I think I'd be able to jump right in and play solid basketball. Right now, I'm not the strongest guy but I'm not afraid to throw my body around and play physical basketball. That's what the Pistons have always been known for. I feel like I'm a versatile guy who can step in and help a team. I think my inside-out game on offense and defense will be able to help.

"

Detroit had the fourth-worst field-goal percentage in the league last year at 42 percent and averaged 98.5 points per game.

But Dekker's style is perfect for Stan Van Gundy's run-and-gun offense.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com.