NBA Mock Draft

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The Minnesota TImberwolves have won the NBA Lottery and will select 1st in the 2015 NBA Draft.  They will have a tough time choosing between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor.  The Los Angeles Lakers will then have to decide if they want the best player available or land a franchise PG in D'Angelo Russell and use Jordan Clarkson as a future 6th man of the year.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a good place with the 3rd pick as they are almost guaranteed either Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay

You could make a case for Justise Winslow/Stanley Johnson going 3rd overall but the need for a PG is much greater as well as Russell being a higher rated player.

The New York Knicks were knocked out of the Top 3 and are stuck with the 4th overall pick.  They will most likely either draft Mudiay or trade the pick.  Winslow/Johnson do not give the Knicks the immediate impact player they need to stay relevant.

FiveThirtyEight had a cool contest on how to fix the NBA Tanking issues.  This one was my favorite, but it wasn't the winner!
The Tombstone Date
Submitted by Brett Schwab in Philadelphia

“Lottery balls would be determined by Elimination Wins. Elimination Wins are victories that occur after a team has been officially eliminated from playoff contention. Tombstone Day is the day your team is eliminated from any possibility of making the playoffs. Whichever team gets the most wins AFTER their Tombstone Day gets the most lottery balls.

A 2015 example:
  • The Sixers were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on March 19th. March 19th is their Tombstone Day. From March 19th on, the Sixers had 2 victories.
  • The Magic were eliminated on March 25th. From their Tombstone Day on, the Magic had 3 victories.
  • The Hornets were eliminated on April 10th. From their Tombstone Day on, the Hornets had 0 victories.
Under this system, the Magic would have the most lottery balls and thus higher odds of winning the draft.”

#TeamMock Draft
1Minnesota TimberwolvesKarl-Anthony Towns
2Los Angeles LakersJahlil Okafor
3Philadelphia 76ersD'Angelo Russell
4New York KnicksEmmanuel Mudiay
5Orlando MagicJustise Winslow
6Sacramento KingsWillie Cauley-Stein
7Denver NuggetsMario Hezonja
8Detroit PistonsFrank Kaminsky
9Charlotte HornetsKristaps Porzingis
10Miami HeatStanley Johnson
11Indiana PacersKelly Oubre Jr.
12Utah JazzKevon Looney
13Phoenix SunsJerian Grant
14Oklahoma City ThunderSam Dekker
15Atlanta Hawks (Swap with Brooklyn)Trey Lyles
16Boston CelticsMyles Turner
17Milwaukee BucksDevin Booker
18Houston Rockets via New OrleansTyus Jones
19Washington WizardsBobby Portis
20Toronto RaptorsMontrezl Harrell
21Dallas MavericksDelon Wright
22Chicago BullsRondae Hollis-Jefferson
23Portland Trail BlazersCameron Payne
24Cleveland CavaliersR.J. Hunter
25Memphis GrizzliesJustin Anderson
26San Antonio SpursGeorge De Paula
27Los Angeles Lakers via HoustonRobert Upshaw
28Boston Celtics via LA ClippersJarell Martin
29Brooklyn Nets (Swap with Atlanta)Cliff Alexander
30Golden State WarriorsChristian Wood
NBA Mock Draft