2015 NBA Mock Draft: First round

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be getting a superstar in Towns first in the draft. The things he did in his one year at Kentucky showcased his unbelievable talent. No brainer pick here for the T-Wolves.. PF. Kentucky. Karl Anthony Towns. 1. player. 86

C. Duke. Jahlil Okafor. 2. player. 20. The Los Angeles Lakers could go a few different directions here. Trade talks will be swarming. However, there’s been a long history of talented centers in LA’s history. Okafor could be the next “big” thing in the NBA. Wouldn’t be a bad pick for the Lake-show.

PG/SG. Ohio State. D'Angelo Russell. 3. player. 93. The Philadelphia 76ers has quite the situation going on. With a lot of their stock already invested in bigs, the best bet for the Sixers to develop is to take a guard with insane potential. Russell is as close to a sure-fire thing as they can find in this draft.

player. 27. The New York Knicks basketball fans have not had much to cheer for of late. After the failed experiment of <strong>Andreas Bargnani</strong>, the Knicks could try to cash in on the potential of the International potential of Porzingis to bring life to the franchise. . PF. Latvia. Kristaps Porzingis. 4

38. It would be surprising if the Orlando Magic decided to keep Tobias Harris after this season, leaving a big hole at the SF position. Taking the draft’s best SF in Winslow will shore up that position for the long haul.. SF. Duke. Justise Winslow. 5. player

player. 67. Nothing the Sacramento Kings do makes much sense right now. However, if they’re trading <strong>DeMarcus Cousins </strong>and looking to play fast pace with new head coach <strong>George Karl</strong>, a guy like Cauley-Stein really fits the mold of the team in their long-term future.. C. Kentucky. Willie Cauley-Stein. 6

player. 73. <strong>TRADE!</strong><p class=. PG. China. Emmanuel Mudiay. 7

8. player. 64. With the trade for <strong>E</strong><strong>rsan Ilyasova, </strong>the biggest hole left for the Detroit Pistons is at SF. While Stanley Johnson doesn’t solve all the problems, he brings the intangibles <b>Stan Van Gundy </b>is looking for to get Detroit back into the playoffs.. SF. Arizona. Stanley Johnson

9. player. 170. The Charlotte Hornets weak point last year was at SG. Even with the insanely cocky attitude of Mario Hezonja and the amount of SG’s the Hornets currently own, Charlotte could get one of the most prolific backcourt scorers in the entire draft to help one of the worst offenses in the NBA last year.  . SG. Croatia. Mario Hezonja

SG. Kentucky. Devin Booker. 10. player. 110. Scoring was a major struggle for the Miami Heat, especially from behind the arc. Picking up a marksman in Devin Booker will give the Heat a threat outside and space the floor out for <strong>Chris Bosh </strong>to be the superstar Miami is hoping for. 

Myles Turner. 11. player. 100. If the Indiana Pacers have this pick and Turner is on the board, they will get a LOT of calls. While a team like Milwaukee could offer a major package for this pick, the Pacers could draft a high-reward prospect that could replace <strong>Roy Hibbert </strong>quickly if Indiana decides to move him in the near future. . C. Texas

Murray State. Cameron Payne. 12. player. 118. <strong>Pick traded to DEN</strong><p>For the Denver Nuggets, it’s a move for the long haul. The team has already made it clear it’s looking to make big moves, with guys like <strong>Ty Lawson </strong>on the trade market. If Lawson is gone, the Nuggets will need a new guy to lead the young troop. Cameron Payne is a guy whose shot up the draft boards with his impressive ability to score the basketball. Denver could develop him into a solid leader for a young group that could grow together to threaten the West’s elite in time. </p>. PG

Frank Kaminsky. 13. player. 66. The Phoenix Suns have some tough decisions to be made. The team is looking to re-tool. A guy with the inside presence and offensive versatility of Frank Kaminsky could really fit in the Suns’ offensive scheme and be a great cornerstone in the paint long-term. . C. Wisconsin

Kansas. Kelly Oubre Jr. 14. player. 149. This could very well be a pick the Oklahoma City Thunder look to move. With teams such as the Lakers and Celtics who have the financial capabilities to take some of OKC’s bothersome contracts such as <strong>Steve Novak</strong>, the Thunder could use Oubre Jr to get space to sign their free agents or use Oubre as a significant backup to <strong>Kevin Durant</strong>. . SF

The Atlanta Hawks have to make tough decisions on the financial side of the team with All-Star PF <strong>Paul Millsap</strong>. Atlanta could use his questionable future as a reason to take a guy like Bobby Portis, whose rising up the draft board due to his offensive versatility and motor that could fit well in Atlanta’s offensive scheme as the starter of backup PF. . PF. Arkansas. Bobby Portis. 15. player. 125

Trey Lyles. 16. player. 18. No matter what the Boston Celtics decide to do this offseason, PF will be a hole Boston needs to fill. A guy with the physical attributes and offensive capabilities of Trey Lyles will pair well with whatever Boston decides to do with the assets they’ve stacked over the past few years.. PF. Kentucky

The Milwaukee Bucks’ plan seems to be finding a way to move up into the lottery. If they can’t find a way to get there, they could look to shore up an iffy PF position with the recent trade of <b>Ersan Ilyasova</b>. A guy like Kevon Looney would give them a great rebounder inside who has the potential to be a threat on offense that can space the floor better for the athletic wings of the Bucks. . PF. UCLA. Kevon Looney. 17. player. 89

Tyus Jones. 18. player. 169. Tyus Jones and Jerian Grant are really fighting for this pick. The Houston Rockets really need a point guard, and both players have great potential to fill their need. Houston has been known to be big on analytics, and Tyus Jones wins big in the analytics comparison. Jones seems to make sense as a pass-first PG prospect, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Grant was the pick instead.. PG. Duke

Sam Dekker. 19. player. 142. The Washington Wizards struggled shooting the ball at times in the playoffs. With Sam Dekker’s ability to shoot the ball efficiently still on the board, Washington may take the opportunity to gamble on Dekker filling a hole left if <strong>Paul Pierce </strong>does decide not to return to the Wizards next season. . SF. Wisconsin

20. player. 81. The Toronto Raptors have a lot of questions with free agency as six players hit free agency. One of the areas of improvement could be inside as both <strong>Amir Johnson </strong>and <strong>Tyler Hansbrough</strong> are unrestricted free agents. Adding a physical, high- effort big like Montrezl Harrell on the cheap would be huge for the Raptors as they try to continue building a contending team with big options this offseason. . PF. Louisville. Montrezl Harrell

79. Could be seen as one of the “steals” in the draft. The Dallas Mavericks needs a PG, especially one with the ability to score the basketball. Jerian Grant has great size for the position and can fill in nicely with a Mavericks team that lacks size and strength in the backcourt. A solid fit with what the Mavericks build with in free agency.. PG. Notre Dame. Jerian Grant. 21. player

The Chicago Bulls could look for the best player available here. However, injury issues to <strong>Derrick Rose</strong> and the iffy future of the Bulls veteran backcourt players, an experienced young PG like Delon Wright who can play solid defense will fit well on the Bulls bench. . PG. Utah. Delon Wright. 22. player. 24

SG. Georgia State. RJ Hunter. 24. player. 156. The Cleveland Cavaliers sure love their shooters. With the Cavs possibly making moves to build a more deep and complete team around <strong>LeBron James</strong>, a young sharpshooter like RJ Hunter could fit well on the bench of a team looking to once again contend for an NBA title. 

211. The Memphis Grizzlies need a physical presence to build with their veteran presence <strong>Zach Randolph </strong>needing more and more rest. A guy who can grind in the paint like Jarell Martin would be a solid piece to play at both the PF and SF positions off the bench, and gives the Grizzlies an solid understudy to Z-Bo for the future. . PF/SF. LSU. Jarell Martin. 25. player

Spain. Guillermo Hernangomez. 26. player. 29. The San Antonio Spurs don’t have many weaknesses, however the bench depth at the center position is one of them. Guillermo Hernangomez gives the Spurs a long-term guy who can score efficiently inside and be either a backup or upgrade to <strong>Tiago Splitter</strong> inside the paint. . C

Virginia. Justin Anderson. 27. player. 20. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to gain talent to build. While there’s a chance they could move this pick, even to the Pelicans for a sure-fire talent like <strong>Ryan Anderson</strong>, the Lakers may look to keep Justin Anderson and develop him into a solid effort guy to be a key contributor to a team looking to be very active in the Free Agent pool in the next few years. . SF

28. player. 18. The Boston Celtics are certain to be going through roster change this offseason, which makes getting talent the biggest key. A young, high-potential scorer at the SG position in Rashaud Vaughn would fit great with what the Celtics decide to do, whether he’s traded away or not.. SG. International. Rashaud Vaughn

PF/C. Kansas. Cliff Alexander. 29. player. 147. The Brooklyn Nets will have a huge hole at the PF position if <strong>Thaddeus Young</strong> goes somewhere else this offseason. Getting a strong big inside like Cliff Alexander who is solid on the glass and is extremely physical is the exact kind of player to give the Nets a different look and help them build past a likely rebuild in the near future. 

30. player. 41. The Golden State Warriors are going to try and move their pick during the draft. Whether they can or not, a guy like Chris McCullough is a solid replacement for the Warriors to what <strong>David Lee </strong>does if they are able to move his massive contract away. . PF. Syracuse. Chris McCullough