NBA Draft 2015: Latest Rumors, Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Top Prospects

The 2015 NBA draft is Thursday, and fans of teams across the league are looking for any and all information that may reveal their favorite team's draft-day plans. For lottery teams especially, the futures of their franchises are at stake.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the first selection, and in that lofty position, the key to the rest of the draft. They may already have the No. 1 pick firmly in mind, but there are no guarantees until Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Here's a roundup of some of the latest chatter surrounding the top prospects in the upcoming draft.


Karl-Anthony Towns, F/C, Kentucky

According to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press, Kentucky prospect Karl-Anthony Towns has worked out for one team, and one team only, in Minnesota:

"

Towns is considered the heavy favorite to be chosen No. 1 overall on Thursday night, and the Wolves are the only team he has worked out for during the pre-draft process.

The visit wrapped up a busy week for the Wolves, who also hosted Duke center Jahlil Okafor, Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who played in China last season, as they mull their options.

"

While it's clear that the T-Wolves are doing their due diligence in working out several of the top players in this year's crop, this sign points quite clearly to Towns becoming the first player off the board.

The 19-year-old big man averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game in his lone season at Kentucky. While Jahlil Okafor may have a more complete post-up game inside, Towns has shown off the ability to shoot from beyond the arc and could end up one of the premier shot-blockers in the league with his athleticism and knack for the ball.

FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine and Zach Bradshaw presented a statistical model forecasting Towns as the potential top player from this year's class, followed by Duke's Justise Winslow. 

Okafor has been bandied about as a potential top pick, but Paine and Bradshaw write their model demonstrates the obvious choice is Towns:

"

In a case of dueling freshman big men, the overriding debate of the 2015 draft is probably whether the Timberwolves should take Towns or Okafor. Our model says the answer is pretty clearly Towns, who has more than twice as great a chance of becoming a superstar as Okafor — and about a 20 percent lower probability of becoming a mere role player or bust. Okafor is much heavier for his height — a no-no according to the model — while Towns is a superior defender and passer, a good combination for a big man in today’s NBA.

"

Few outlets crunch numbers like FiveThirtyEight, but Towns isn't just a paper marvel. He most certainly passed the eyeball test with his fluid play at 6'11" and 250 pounds. He should be the top pick on Thursday.

Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

Perhaps an even greater indication that Towns will go No. 1 is how the team holding the No. 2 pick, the Los Angeles Lakers, views the Wildcat star. According to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Los Angeles prefers Towns to Okafor:

Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell reported on Saturday that the team has had the Duke center in for two workouts, as well as Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell:

Okafor displayed a very well-rounded offensive game at Duke, averaging 17.3 points in 30.1 minutes per game. The Lakers have needs at every single position, and drafting a true center to fit alongside forward Julius Randle would give the Lakers a talented, young frontcourt to build around. 

However, not everyone sees Okafor as the next-best thing to Towns. In a report from Grantland's Ryen Russillo, one NBA scout noted that the Blue Devil was No. 3 on his board and had some flaws to his game:

"

He’s got to improve in some other areas. The other two guys, there isn’t a lot of downside. This guy’s got some concerns. You can’t be “Hack-an-Okafor.” He has to improve his conditioning. The pace of the game could be a problem for him. He has to be able to run up and down the floor.

Defensively, he’s average at best. Needs work. He’s not a quick jumper. For whatever reason, he’s not a huge shot-blocker. He allows easy low-post catches. He can become a better defender. Right now, those three areas he must improve on.

"

The Lakers were one of the worst defensive teams in basketball last season—108 points allowed per 100 possessions, per ESPN.com—so it's possible Okafor's deficiencies in this area scare them away and they opt for either Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.

Russell is more of a combo guard, while Mudiay projects as a pure point guard. If the Lakers are confident in the promising Jordan Clarkson (11.5 PPG, 3.5 APG, 3.2 RPG as a rookie), they might not want to take either of those two, as Kobe Bryant has one year left and would presumably have one of the two guard spots locked down.


Philadelphia 76ers' Options

With the third pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers are at the Lakers' and Timberwolves' mercy. General manager Sam Hinkie has been stockpiling assets, waiting for the right combination of players before he allows his team to grow and (hopefully) coalesce into a championship-caliber team. But with setbacks to 2014 No. 3 pick Joel Embiid's foot injury, the Sixers' plans are in flux.

They could hope that either Towns or Okafor falls to them, or perhaps chase after Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein. A point guard is a major need, but the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner writes that Russell, one of the top players at that position, may not be interested in playing in the City of Brotherly Love, and a far more surprising player might end up coming off the board:

"

But the buzz around the NBA is that D'Angelo Russell, a 6-5 point guard from Ohio State whom many see as a lesser Stephen Curry-type, doesn't want to play for the unpredictable 76ers. Russell did work out for the 76ers last week.

So that's where European talent Kristaps Porzingis comes into the picture. Porzingis, a 7-foot power forward who has been compared to Nowitzki, is expected to go third to Philadelphia.

"

Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler also notes that Kristaps Porzingis is being considered at No. 3:

Porzingis is a 7-footer who can play both out on the wing and rack up points in the paint. He may be the best possible choice for Philly considering its conundrum with Embiid. The Latvian star offers both size and flexibility, as he could push out to forward and rotate with Nerlens Noel or come inside and play the 4 or 5 if Embiid is unable to see much time on the court this year.