NBA Draft 2015: Latest Mock Draft and Prospects Worth Reaching for in 1st Round

It's time to embrace the 2015 NBA draft with open arms.

LeBron James did everything he could—and then some—in the Finals as the Golden State Warriors hoisted the trophy on the Cleveland Cavaliers' home court. With the Association's top event out of the way, it's time to begin the build to the next one.

A mock draft is a great place to start, if not for those behind to catch up. It combines the current prospect stock market with a general idea of team needs and how the folks in those front offices would act provided the board falls a certain way.

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 Worth Reaching For

Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Right now, the biggest riser up draft boards is Kristaps Porzingis, who finally worked out on American soil in front of NBA teams and blew away scouts in the process.

It's time the draft process stops sleeping on Croatia native Mario Hezonja, too.

Hezonja stands at 6'7" and 200 pounds and is an elite offensive prospect in every sense of the description. He shoots well from anywhere on the court and can penetrate to the paint to score or get others involved.

A nugget by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com shows this well:

ESPN.com's Chad Ford does label the elite scorer as a risk due to his commitments overseas during the draft process, but one general manager's description says it all: "The type of crazy confidence that elite players need. If he can keep that competitiveness under control and be patient, he's got a good shot to be one of the two or three best players in this draft in five years. He has that 'it' factor that several guys ahead of him don't." 

When it comes to surefire pro contributors on the offensive end of the court, Hezonja doesn't have many equals. He's worth reaching for on a gamble, something a brave team will find out soon enough on June 25.

Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas

Sometimes there's nothing wrong with a player on the complete other end of the spectrum: a defensive force who figures to perform well at the next level in such a capacity.

The description fits Kansas' Kelly Oubre well, a 6'7", 203-pound enforcer with major upside. Oubre averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 boards last year and there's offensive potential in droves, but right now, it's understandable if teams view him as a defender.

For his part, Oubre doesn't lack any sort of confidence, per Jody Genessy of the Deseret News:

That's why teams should want to gamble on the Kansas product early.

While confidence is a good thing to hear from a prospect, he's not wrong—he's the rawest of the forwards in the class, including Hezonja, but also possesses the most upside. What he could turn into down the road is something worth reaching for, so long as a team can show some patience and groom the overwhelming talent brimming beneath the surface.

Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin

Of course, those teams that don't want to reach on an upside-type prospect can always bank on a sure thing and find a pro-ready guy who can help pick up more marks in the win column.

Wisconsin's Sam Dekker should be one of the first players who comes to mind. Over three years with the Badgers, his consistent improvement says a lot about his pro prospects:

SEASON	FG%	3P%	REB	AST	PTS
2014-15	.525	.331	5.5	1.2	13.9
2013-14	.469	.326	6.1	1.4	12.4
2012-13	.478	.391	3.4	1.3	9.6

At 6'9" and 219 pounds, there's little doubt Dekker can impact a pro game right away. To top it all off, Ford says the NBA Draft Combine removed a doubt from many minds, proving Dekker is an elite athlete:

"

Dekker's athleticism shined in the lateral quickness drills at the combine. He ended up with the sixth-fastest time among the participants there. His vertical jump was a little disappointing (and no one was more disappointed than Dekker, who was begging to do it again), but I don't think it matters. It takes 10 minutes in the gym with him to know he's an elite athlete.

"

Dekker's a leap of faith for teams because there's a sense the ceiling doesn't go much higher, although it's not always such a bad thing.

In the right situation, Dekker is the sort of prospect who enters the league with little fanfare but goes on to have quite a long career, surprising many as he carves out, at the minimum, a role in a rotation and makes a difference.

While not as flashy as other prospects, Dekker's an obvious grab for a team in search of immediate help.

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