NBA Draft 2015: Time, Selection Order, Mock Draft Predictions for Top Prospects
The NBA Finals just ended, but it feels like the fun part of pro basketball is just getting started. As great as the Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers series was, there is little like the drama brought on by the draft and free agency.
There isn’t much question about what's going to happen with the first overall pick—it is almost guaranteed to be Karl-Anthony Towns—but beyond that, things become a little more interesting. Who will go where? Who ends up rising or falling down draft boards unexpectedly? All will be answered Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET when the draft kicks off.
Here is the schedule for the draft and predictions for some of the top prospects in the class.
When: Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Karl-Anthony Towns, F/C, Kentucky |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Ohio State |
| 4 | New York Knicks | Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Justise Winslow, SF, Duke |
| 6 | Sacramento Kings | Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | Mario Hezonja, SG, Croatia |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Frank Kaminsky, F/C, Wisconsin |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Myles Turner, C, Texas |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (via BKN) | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Kelly Oubre Jr., SF, Kansas |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 18 | Houston Rockets | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 22 | Chicago Bulls | Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV |
| 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Justin Anderson, SG, Virginia |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Delon Wright, PG, Utah |
| 25 | Memphis Grizzlies | Jarell Martin, PF, LSU |
| 26 | San Antonio Spurs | Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers (via HOU) | Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville |
| 28 | Boston Celtics | R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (via ATL) | Rakeem Christmas, PF/C, Syracuse |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse |
D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Ohio State
After Jahlil Okafor and Towns, no player in this draft class has more hype than D’Angelo Russell.
Despite not even considering himself a one-and-done player when he started his career with the Buckeyes, Russell quickly developed into one of the best prospects in the draft with his elite skills as a scorer and passer:
It isn’t just his skill set that has vaulted Russell to the top of draft boards, but also his ability to lead those around him, even if he is the youngest player on the floor.
At Ohio State, Russell came into a team with four seniors, three of whom were starters, but was in charge of the offense from the shooting guard position, with the Buckeyes finding limited success when their superstar didn’t touch the ball.
Although no one ever really knows what Philadelphia is going to do on draft day—Kristaps Porzingis will still be in play here—it makes the most sense for the 76ers to take Russell.
Russell would be the starter at either guard position from day one and could turn the Sam Hinkie experiment from a giant question mark into a huge success almost immediately.
Prediction: D’Angelo Russell to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3
Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
Despite winning the national title with Duke last season, it felt like Justise Winslow wasn’t getting the respect he deserved.
With Okafor as the superstar and Tyus Jones the clutch performer, Winslow often had to play third fiddle on his own college team. But as he showed in a dominant NCAA tournament run, there is only so long a player as talented as Winslow can be overshadowed, and as a likely top-five pick (at worst a top-10 pick), he won’t be for much longer.
Some experts disagree on how Winslow’s game is going to translate to the NBA—he isn’t the strongest at creating his own shot unless it is on a fast break—but if put into the right situation, there is no telling how high the forward’s ceiling is going to be.
Able to defend every position—a necessary skill in the new age of the NBA we find ourselves in—and one of the better athletic specimens, Winslow isn’t likely to slip out of the top five or six in the draft.
With the Orlando Magic at No. 5, Winslow could turn a young team full of question marks into a group competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo have turned into surprising stars as the starting backcourt duo for the Magic, but neither is a particularly adept shooter. Adding Winslow on the wing could add the much-needed shooting while covering up his own flaws, as the guards cutting to the basket would create more open shots for the Duke product.
Prediction: Justise Winslow to the Orlando Magic at No. 5
Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
It is hard to imagine the most recent NBA season going any better for Devin Booker.
While he was coming off the bench as a scoring option for the Kentucky Wildcats, Booker was seeing his best skill—shooting—sky rocket in importance in the league.
The Warriors disproved the ridiculous notion that a jump-shooting team couldn’t win the NBA title. Stephen Curry, arguably the league’s best shooter, won the regular-season MVP. Kyle Korver went from being considered a one-trick pony to an All-Star despite his game staying relatively the same.
Booker can bring more to the table than just a soft shooting touch, he can pass well and reads the game better than most in the class, but first and foremost is his insane ability to hit shots from beyond the arc.
The Charlotte Hornets will be looking for a long-term answer at shooting guard with Gerald Henderson heading to the Portland Trail Blazers, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, and Booker is the best option at that point in the draft.
Unless Mario Hezonja slides a bit, and as long as Booker can continue to dominate from the outside like he did in college, the Hornets will be happy to take the former Kentucky star to add some shooting to the wing.
Prediction: Devin Booker to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 9
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