2015 NBA Lottery Mock Draft


The Future is now.



1) Minnesota Timberwolves — Karl Anthony-Towns, PF/C, Kentucky.

The Timberwolves seem to be torn between drafting Towns and Okafor. Both will be great pros, at the end of the day it comes down to versatility and defense.

That’s why I think the Wolves will take the Big man that’s built for the modern day NBA, which is Karl Anthony-Towns. Wiggins and Towns will terrorize the NBA for years to come on both ends of the court.


2)Los Angles Lakers — Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke.

The Lakers have a lot of options with the second pick. With Kobe Bryant retiring next season, they could use a guard.

At the end of the day, I think the Lakers chose Okafor. He and Julius Randle are amazing post players. Defensively, I think Okafor will get better and become an average defender. His issues on that side of the court are overblown.


3 )Philadelphia 76ers — D’Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State.

The 76ers are stacked in the front-court with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. Philly has a great GM in Sam Hinkie. I think they’ll choose D’Angelo Russell after giving Emmanuel Mudiay a good look.

The Sixers shot terrible last year. Finishing the season last in the NBA in offensive efficiency and true shooting percentage (49.4%) as a team. D’Angelo is a terrific shooter, the 76ers need shooters. It’s a perfect match.


4) New York Knicks — Emmanuel Mudiay, G, China.

Phil Jackson and the Knicks seem to have a lot of options with the 4th pick.

They could draft Mudiay, who will be regarded as the best prospect available at #4. They could also draft Justise Winslow or Willie Cauley Stein, who are some guys that are seen as the better fit for the triangle.

Personally, I hate when teams pass up on talented players in the lottery for a player that’s a better fit for the team. The Knicks need to hit a home-run in the draft, so why not go with the player that has the highest ceiling?

I think Phil decides to take a chance at #4 and picks Mudiay.


5) Orlando Magic— Kristaps Porzingis, PF-C, Latvia.

The Magic can go a lot of different ways with the 5th pick. Their backcourt seems to be set with Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. They could try to draft Justise Winslow, another great defensive player that can play the shooting forward position.

I think they’ll try to fix their frontcourt and draft Kristaps Porzingis, the Latvian big man.

Porzingis is a stretch four that can knock down 3's and he’s also a great rim protector. The Magic were ranked 29th this season in blocks and shot below the league average from the 3 point line (34.7 percent).

I don’t think he’ll be able to impact the team right away, like the rest of the prospects. But if he gains some weight and gets some experience, I think he can be a good NBA pro.


6) Sacramento Kings— Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky.

The Kings are Guard heavy with Darren Collison, Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas. They also have a pretty good shooting forward in Rudy Gay. I can’t see them drafting Justise Winslow.

Their defense was 27th worst in the NBA this season. Willie Cauley-Stein will be the best defender on board at #6. I think the Kings decide to draft him.

Via CBSSports.com’s Sam Vecenie

“In George Karl’s offense, the Kings will want to get out and run, and there are few big men who do that better than Cauley-Stein. On defense, he may be the best perimeter-defending big man that has entered the NBA draft, as he’s probably going to be athletic enough to guard anyone 3–5 on the next level. That makes him incredibly valuable next to Cousins.”

7) Denver Nuggets—Mario Hezonja, SG-SF, Croatia.

This Denver Nuggets team needs talent. Plain and simple. Denver needs a starting shooting guard after they traded Arron Afflalo to the Portland Trailblazers.

The Nuggets like to run and get out in transition, as does Hezonja. It’s a great fit to me. When you see Hezonja play, his athleticism is amazing for a shooting guard. It’ll be interesting to see a Ty Lawson-Hezonja backcourt.

“I really love him,” one NBA scout told ESPN. “I love [Justise] Winslow, too, but I really think if this kid was in college we’d all be going crazy for him. He’s tough, he’s athletic, he shoots the shit out of it. And the kid just knows how to play. He’s going to be really, really good in the NBA. He’s the first wing on my board.”

8) Detroit Pistons —Justise Winslow, G/F, Duke

Every year, It seems like there’s one player that drops out the top 5 conversation on draft night. This year, I think that guy is Justice Winslow.

The two top draft experts, Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, seem to agree with me. As they've had him ranked sixth overall on their draft boards.

Winslow did a great job on his draft interviews. One GM even compared him to Kawhi Leonard.

“You’re drafting Winslow based more on what kind of kid and player he is and less on a particular basketball skill,” one NBA GM told Chad Ford. “And you’re hoping the skill part comes based on his work ethic. It reminds me of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist a few years ago. The intangibles are outweighing some red flags on his game. The only difference is that Winslow is a better spot-up shooter than MKG. But the similarities are there.”

I think Winslow will be a solid NBA pro. He fits in well with the Pistons, who need a shooting forward. He’ll be the best player available if he falls to #8. It’ll be hard to see Detroit pass on him if they get the chance.


9) Charlotte Hornets —Devin Booker, G, Kentucky.

The Hornets aren't known for making great decisions in the draft. I don’t know if drafting Booker in the Lottery is a great idea, but the Hornets were last in the NBA in 3 point shooting (31% as a team).

The Lance Stephenson experience failed. The Hornets already have a decent wing and point guard. Booker is arguably the best shooter in the Draft. He’ll be able to help the Hornets immediately with his floor spacing.


10) Miami Heat— Stanley Johnson, F, Arizona.

After losing LeBron James last season, the Heat had issues at the shooting forward position all season long. Luol Deng isn't a permanent solution.

I think Johnson will fall right in Miami’s lap at #1o. I don’t think he’ll be a future star, but If he develops his jumperhe can be a very good 2nd or 3rd option on a team.

“He’s not as good as we thought he’d be coming into things,” one NBA GM said. “But he’s not as bad as I think we’ve made him out to be either.” He’ll work hard and if he improves, he’ll be a very good value pick here.

11) Indiana Pacers— Myles Turner, F, Texas.

The Pacers are looking forward to build around Paul George. Roy Hibbert doesn't appear to be apart of those plans.

“We’ll have to see how it all plays out and what the roster ultimately looks like, but there’s a possibility that Roy’s role will be diminished, if we’re trying to play faster and trying to play smaller,” Pacers Coach Frank Vogel said. ”

Turner is a decent rebounder and an elite shot blocker. The Pacers were 24th in offensive efficiency last year. Turner is a very nice scoring PF. With David West getting older and Hibbert’s playing time diminishing, I think the Pacers will select Turner. Who will hopefully be their Big man of the future.

12) Utah Jazz— Trey Lyes, F, Kentucky.

Utah seems to have a lot of options with the 12th pick. They already drafted guards Dante Exum and Trey Burke the past 2 seasons. They really don’t have a huge need at any starting positions. I think they go BPA here (best player available).

Trey Lyes is a nice stretch 4 who’s a solid pick for Utah.

“I’m not sure how good he can be,” one NBA scout said. “But at his size and abilities, I think you have to seriously think about gambling on him earlier rather than later. He comes with more risks, but he’s a sexier pick than Bobby Portis, I think.”

13) Phoenix Suns — Cameron Payne, G, Murray State.

After losing Goran Dragic and Tyler Ennis, the Suns could use another point guard. Payne could be the Suns selection after averaging 20 points and six assists at Murray State.


14) Oklahoma City Thunder — Kelly Oubre Jr, G-F, Kansas.

The Thunder wings struggled a lot when Kevin Durant got injured. Oubre is an athletic wing who has shown some ability to knock down jumpers and has the length needed to be a solid defender.

“I think he has a chance to be a 3-and-D guy in the league and his best NBA skill will probably be on the defensive end,” one GM said

For now he’d be a good backup for Durant but who knows? Free Agency 2016 will be interesting. Oubre will be a good backup plan IF Durant decides to leave OKC.