The 2015 NBA draft is still approximately a month away, but with some time to process the ramifications of the draft lottery, it's worth revisiting how the first round might play out on June 25.
Although mock drafts can't really account for trades, there doesn't figure to be a lot of maneuvering toward the top of the order. The consensus seems pretty strong with regard to who the top prospects are.
For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a loaded cast of young perimeter players and seem highly likely to take either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor with the No. 1 overall pick. Yours truly believes Towns will be the first man off the board in the following mock scenario:
Towns is an ideal fit in the Twin Cities, because he has the skill set to play power forward, unlike Okafor, who is anchored in as a traditional center.
Interior defense is an area the Timberwolves struggle with, partly because of Nikola Pekovic's inability to stay healthy and ineffectiveness on that end of the floor when he is in the lineup. Minnesota needs a rim protector and versatile, rangy frontcourt defender of Towns' caliber to help the cause.
A young nucleus featuring Andrew Wiggins on the wing, Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio in the backcourt and Towns up front would be formidable. It could even help the Timberwolves turn around more quickly than anticipated.
This would leave the Los Angeles Lakers to take Okafor, forming an offense-heavy front line of the future with Julius Randle. Duke swingman Justise Winslow may be a tantalizing option for L.A. and perhaps the best Blue Devil to fit the team's current personnel.
But once legendary guard Kobe Bryant retires, the front office will have an enormity of freedom to build the roster. Bleacher Report's Howard Beck reported what Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said recently about Bryant:
Okafor has the most upside of perhaps anyone on the board, with an amazingly polished post game and plenty of ability to be a perennial All-Star. Joining the ultra-competitive Bryant, who will be pining for one last great playoff run, will only help Okafor tap into his potential.
The next debate figures to be about which perimeter player will be first to be drafted. It's between either Emmanuel Mudiay or D'Angelo Russell, and the latter seems destined for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philly has been rebuilding and enduring a lot of growing pains over the past two seasons. It's time to show some results, especially in a rather weak Eastern Conference. Adding Russell to the mix to be the offensive catalyst is the best possible move.
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com is already pondering whether Russell doesn't deserve to be selected above the two big men:
Russell oozes with confidence, has swagger to his game and is effective off the ball to go with rare floor vision and passing ability. Dynamic as Mudiay can be in the open court with his superior athleticism, the safer pick is Russell, whose attributes bring to mind current NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
Much like the 2014 draft, where most experts had Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid rated as the top players, the trio to headline this year's class figures to be Towns, Okafor and Russell, barring something absolutely wild.
Those three figure to be legitimate franchise cornerstones, players to be the face of an organization's future that are so hard to find later in the draft. It's important to nail the early picks when the opportunity arrives, but the teams at the top all have logical fits and seemingly can't-miss players to acquire.
No comments:
Post a Comment