NBA Draft Picks 2015: List of Results, Grades and Analysis

The 2015 NBA draft is finally in the books, with promises of a bright future for lottery teams and big expectations bestowed upon new franchise gems. But not every team put its best foot forward among the 60 selections.

The draft began in rather anticlimactic fashion, as the growing inevitability of Karl-Anthony Towns going to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 1 overall evolved into certainty when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced his name. 

Of course, the predictable nature flew out of the door when Towns' name flew off the board. Twists and turns quickly followed in the next 59 picks, and a surprising lack of trades at the top of the draft didn't mean there was a lack of dramatics with marquee names falling and surprising developments.

With the draft in the rearview mirror, let's assess every pick. 

2015 NBA Draft Results, Grades and Analysis

Pick	Team	Player	Analysis	Grade
1	Minnesota Timberwolves	C Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)	Ideal two-way complement to Andrew Wiggins	A
2	Los Angeles Lakers	PG D'Angelo Russell (Ohio State)	You don't win without star backcourt play	A
3	Philadelphia 76ers	C Jahlil Okafor (Duke)	Years of tanking pay off as star center slips	A-
4	New York Knicks	PF Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)	Can't knock taking best prospect on the board	A-
5	Orlando Magic	SG Mario Hezonja (Croatia)	Magic needed a SG, they nabbed an intriguing international shooter	B+
6	Sacramento Kings	C Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)	Primarily a defensive stopper but an elite one alongside Cousins (or post-Cousins)	B
7	Denver Nuggets	PG Emmanuel Mudiay (Congo)	PG of the future—or now, if Nuggets deal Lawson	A-
8	Detroit Pistons	SF Stanley Johnson (Arizona)	Nothing not to like that can't be fixed at the NBA level	A-
9	Charlotte Hornets	C Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin)	Charlotte's most dependable pick in years despite slight reach	B
10	Miami Heat	SF Justise Winslow (Duke)	One of the draft-night steals and potential X-factor for 2015-16 season	A+
11	Indiana Pacers	PF Myles Turner (Texas)	Eyeing a system change, Turner fits Pacers' post-Hibbert agenda	B+
12	Utah Jazz	PF Trey Lyles (Kentucky)	Good defender whose skill set doesn't match the swingman role Jazz anticipate	C+
13	Phoenix Suns	SF Devin Booker (Kentucky)	Arguably the draft's best shooter joins two more Kentucky guards	A-
14	Oklahoma City Thunder	PG Cameron Payne (Murray State)	When in doubt, go with the best guy available	B+
15	Atlanta Hawks (traded to WSH)	SG Kelly Oubre (Kansas)	Raw prospect who will need time to develop in Washington	B-
16	Boston Celtics	PG Terry Rozier (Louisville)	Skilled two-way player who fits the system	A-
17	Milwaukee Bucks	SG Rashad Vaughn (UNLV)	Quality shooter who will need to justify late rise	B+
18	Houston Rockets	SF Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)	Rockets fill perimeter need, take advantage of Dekker's slip	A-
19	Washington Wizards (traded to NYK)	PG Jerian Grant (Notre Dame)	The Knicks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. for Grant, so they must expect a lot	B+
20	Toronto Raptors	PG Delon Wright (Utah)	Brings versatility to a backcourt that could lose Lou Williams	B
21	Dallas Mavericks	SG Justin Anderson (Virginia)	Big-time sleeper; will contribute minutes immediately	A-
22	Chicago Bulls	PF Bobby Portis (Arkansas)	Good offensive talent; needs time to develop	B
23	Portland Trail Blazers (traded to BKN)	SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona)	Elite defender who will develop offensive game	A-
24	Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to MIN)	PG Tyus Jones (Duke)	Hometown kid and another hard-working prospect to fit T-Wolves roster	B+
25	Memphis Grizzlies	PF Jarell Martin (LSU)	Not the ideal fit for Grizz team needing sharpshooters	C+
26	San Antonio Spurs	C Nikola Milutinov (Serbia)	Draft-and-stash guy who will likely develop similar to Thiago Splitter	B
27	Los Angeles Lakers	PF Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming)	Will need to improve on the edge, but real offensive talent just like his dad	B+
28	Boston Celtics	SG R.J. Hunter (Georgia State)	C's stockpiling guards and nab possibly the draft's purest shooter here	A-
29	Brooklyn Nets	PF Chris McCullough (Syracuse)	Won't contribute immediately with torn ACL, but has big upside	B
30	Golden State Warriors	SF Kevon Looney (UCLA)	Raw talent with ideal frame; medical red flags don't scare Dubs	B-
31	Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to CLE)	SF Cedi Osman (Turkey)	Cavs nab underrated international wing	B+
32	Houston Rockets	PF Montrezl Harrell (Louisville)	Harrell's high-energy play will fit right in with Rockets	B+
33	Boston Celtics	PF Jordan Mickey (LSU)	Versatile big man who is being undervalued	A-
34	Los Angeles Lakers	SF Anthony Brown (Stanford)	Sharp shooter shot 44 percent from 3-point range last season	B+
35	Philadelphia 76ers	PF Willy Hernangomez (Spain)	He may not see the NBA for a few years, but will make a big impact when he does	B
36	Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to CLE)	PF Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse)	Project in frontcourt who may log 5-10 minutes at best	B-
37	Philadelphia 76ers	PF Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green)	Who says the Sixers have too many bigs? This one, like the rest, is a solid shot-blocker	B-
38	Detroit Pistons	SG Darrun Hilliard (Villanova)	Strong shooter but will need time to develop	B
39	Charlotte Hornets (traded to BKN)	SG Juan Vaulet (Argentina)	Size could be issue at the next level for Argentinian	C
40	MIami Heat	SG Josh Richardson (Tennessee)	Elite defender and underrated shooter with all the intangibles	A-
41	Brooklyn Nets (traded to POR)	SG Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame)	Deadly shooter with great athleticism, passing up on MLB	B+
42	Utah Jazz	SG Olivier Hanlan (Boston College)	Not your average second-round pick, Hanlan slipped and found a great home	A
43	Indiana Pacers	SG Joseph Young (Oregon)	If you're looking for straight shooting, Young's your guy, Indiana	B+
44	Phoenix Suns (traded to MEM)	PG Andrew Harrison (Kentucky)	There are questions about the Harrison twins' ceiling, but hard to argue with this value	A-
45	Boston Celtics	SG Marcus Thornton (William and Mary)	Undersized guard will have to overcome odds to make roster	D
46	Milwaukee Bucks (traded to TOR)	SG Norman Powell (UCLA)	Athletic playmaker could help Toronto	B
47	Philadelphia 76ers	C Arturas Gudaitis (Lithuania)	The Sixers must have some diabolical plan for a five-center lineup	D
48	Oklahoma City Thunder	C Dakari Johnson (Kentucky)	Big body but may struggle with athleticism of NBA	B-
49	Washington Wizards	PF Aaron White (Iowa)	Strong fundamentals/size but may struggle to find his niche	C+
50	Atlanta Hawks	SG Marcus Eriksson (Sweden)	Lengthy wing player needs to put on weight	B-
51	Orlando Magic	SG Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington)	Low ceiling for this sharpshooter	C+
52	Dallas Mavericks	C Satnam Singh (India)	7-footer has big-time size and strength to make a quick impact	B-
53	Cleveland Cavaliers	SF Sir'Dominic Pointer (St. John's)	The Cavs need versatility, and they get it here	B
54	Utah Jazz (traded to POR)	SF Daniel Diez (Spain)	One of the most intriguing international prospects	B
55	San Antonio Spurs	C Cady Lalanne (Massachusetts)	If he buys into the Spurs system, he'll succeed	B+
56	New Orleans Pelicans (traded to LAC)	SF Branden Dawson (Michigan State)	Versatile two-way player who fills a need	B+
57	Denver Nuggets	PG Nikola Radicevic (Serbia)	Oversized point guard can play big minutes when he arrives	B
58	Philadelphia 76ers	SF J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina)	Simply a steal this late in the draft	B+
59	Atlanta Hawks	PG Dimitrios Agravanis (Greece)	Draft-and-stash that fits the value	C+
60	Philadelphia 76ers	PF Luka Mitrovic (Serbia)	Another long-term project for the Sixers	B-

Lakers Go Star Power over Big Man

As mentioned earlier, the unpredictability started after Towns' name went off the board. And that had everything to do with the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2 overall.

On the morning of Thursday's draft, Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding dropped a surprising report that stated the Lakers' growing desire to select D'Angelo Russell at No. 2 instead of Jahlil Okafor. That's exactly what they did, putting the future of their backcourt in the hands of the Ohio State freshman sharpshooter.

With the chance to make Okafor the franchise's next big man, the Lakers opted for the potential of Russell. The Duke center proved dependable, but Russell has that "it" factor and could benefit more from Kobe Bryant's presence, as head coach Byron Scott told Ding:

Of course, any move in Laker land is building toward the long process of creating a championship contender in the post-Bryant era. That also includes chasing some of the marquee big men in free agency, and DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony noted what it could mean for the Lakers' pursuit of them:

There may have been free-agent reasons not to draft Okafor and instead go to the backcourt, but there's no doubting Russell's potential as a future star in the league. The flash he showed at Ohio State was reminiscent of star guards at the NBA level, and those are becoming more and more critical to winning in the Western Conference.

If Russell fulfills that potential, nobody will be talking about who the Lakers didn't pick at No. 2.

An Excess of Bigs

Although Okafor didn't get the chance to become the new face of the franchise in L.A., he didn't wait long to hear his name called by Silver.

The Philadelphia 76ers were up next at No. 3 overall, and their selections of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid high in the lottery of the last two drafts didn't keep them from going big for a third year in a row. They selected who they believed to be the best player on the board, taking the Duke big man.

The question immediately turns toward what the Sixers do with their frontcourt, now possessing three big-time prospects in the post. Although that question is far from being answered, Okafor said it's not his problem to work out, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN noted:

The futures of players like Embiid and Noel may be up in the air with Okafor's arrival, but that didn't keep Embiid from jinxing Okafor the night before the draft, as he told SLAM Magazine:

It's rather obvious that the long-term outlook in Philadelphia can't possibly include all three big men, but it's even more obvious that the Sixers simply couldn't pass up on Okafor at No. 3 overall. He's likely the best prospect of the three, and having other young prospects at his position will only allow the coaching staff to be flexible with his development.

It's easy to poke fun at Philadelphia now, as its long quest for rebuilding continues to pose even bigger questions for the front office. But don't doubt that it is beginning to stockpile some serious talent.

Falling Right into Place

While Okafor, Towns and Russell didn't wait around for long, the same can't be said of Emmanuel Mudiay and Justise Winslow—two other top-five hopefuls. But their excruciating wait proved to be rewarding, as they fell right into two favorable settings.

Mudiay flew off the board first, being picked over with the fourth, fifth and sixth picks only to be snatched up by the Denver Nuggets at No. 7 overall. With international products Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja going in the top five, Mudiay fell right in the Nuggets' laps.

Denver has been trading away many of its best assets over the last season, nearly trading franchise-face Ty Lawson before holding onto him. This could mean an inevitable departure for Lawson, opening up the backcourt for Mudiay, as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix noted:

Winslow got picked over in favor of Stanley Johnson by the Pistons at No. 8 and Frank Kaminsky by the Hornets at No. 9, but that set up the perfect landing spot for the Duke swingman. Winslow got nabbed by the Miami Heat at No. 10, joining a veteran team with championship experience.

He has the perfect mindset to contribute to a Heat team still in a championship window, as the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds reported:

The players in this draft will forever be judged against one another by the spot they were selected in, and for that reason, Winslow could end up being one of the steals of the draft. It's likely that he'll pan out better than at least a few names ahead of him, and the same can be said of Mudiay if he develops as expected.