Orlando Magic Daily NBA Mock Draft Version 1.0 — Pre-Combine Edition
The NBA Draft is about two months away. We have not even done the Lottery. So it is time to unveil the first NBA Mock Draft from Orlando Magic Daily.
Well, it is getting to be that time.
In one week, the NBA’s top draft prospects will converge on Chicago for what is likely their first interaction with the NBA and its teams.
Official Combine invites went out late last week after the official list of early entry candidates became finalized. The Combine will have players running through drills, but really the important part is the one-on-one interviews with teams. Those 15 minutes are really where teams begin differentiating prospects and getting to know them and how their personalities will fit with their teams and with being a professional.
That is still a week away. We are still two weeks away from the NBA Draft Lottery and making the 2015 Draft order permanent.
And so, this initial mock draft is really a first glance at the prospects and where they might fall. The picks below do take into account team needs, but it is more valuable to recognize where prospects will go. We have a long way to go — and many, many more rumors — to go before the NBA Draft takes place in Brooklyn at the end of June.
Kentucky. Karl-Anthony Towns. 1. player. 86. <p>Karl-Anthony Towns gets the edge over Jahlil Okafor in the post college season mock draft. Towns’ offensive game is still a little rough around the edges, but his activity on the defensive end give him a higher ceiling than the already solidly developed Okafor.</p>. F/C
27. <p>Okafor has one of the most advanced post games of any college player in recent memory. The fact he is only a freshman makes it all the more impressive. What Okafor lacks right now is solid defensive instincts and athleticism. In a certain age, Okafor would be a great fit at power forward. In this NBA, he may not be able to do it all. Although he can probably do most of it.</p>. F/C. Duke. Jahlil Okafor. 2. player
93. <p>Russell put together a solid highlight tape of plays in his lone season at Ohio State. He racked up a ton of assist numbers and looked in command as his Tournament team’s top player. His shot still needs some work and there are still some wondering if he could play point guard full time in the NBA.</p>. G. Ohio State. D'Angelo Russell. 3. player
G. Guangdong (China). Emmanuel Mudiay. 4. player. 20. <p>Mudiay might be this Draft’s mystery man. The extremely talented guard failed to qualify academically at SMU and so went overseas to China where he put up solid numbers and showed himself ready for the pro game. This is a guy that is already a solid point guard prospect.</p>
player. 38. <p>Winslow seems to be the guy the Magic, or at least their fans, have focused on. Winslow certainly fills a positional need, but he is also a really good player. Winslow is still improving as a jump shooter, but made plenty of big shots. He is also really good off the dribble and his driving game is slippery. He finds gaps to get to the basket and can finish around the rim.</p>. G/F. Duke. Justise Winslow. 5
Willie Cauley-Stein. 6. player. 67. <p>Cauley-Stein is ready to play NBA-level defense. He is the best rim protector in this Draft and would make a good pair with DeMarcus Cousins. His offensive game is virtually non-existent. But his defensive game is ready to contribute at the NBA level.</p>. C. Kentucky
73. <p>Mario Hezonja is going to be a really interesting player. He has all the offensive skill and talent to be a solid wing player in the NBA. There remains some questions about his attitude and off-court demeanor that he will have to answer in workouts and interviews. Hezonja though is an extremely talented player that will get consideration throughout the mid- and early-Lottery.</p>. G. Regal Barcelona. Mario Hezonja. 7. player
<p>Stan Van Gundy is in need of a stretch-4 to complete his reformation of the Pistons and keep the floor spread for his new center pupil in Andre Drummond. Porzingis is probably the best stretch-4 in the Draft. After the top two, Porzingis might be the best big man in the draft. And he very easily could fall to the Pistons right into Van Gundy’s clutches.</p>. F/C. Sevilla (Spain). Kristaps Porzingis. 8. player. 64
170. <p>Stanley Johnson proved himself a solid defensive player, perhaps the best defensive perimeter player in the Draft. Much like Aaron Gordon, Johnson could prove himself a solid NBA defender right out of the box. But much like Gordon, Johnson has a lot of work to do on the offensive end. At least his position seems to be much more settled.</p>. SF. Arizona. Stanley Johnson. 9. player
10. player. 110. <p>Myles Turner is the big project of the Draft. He will probably be the player that gets the most buzz coming from the Combine and individual workouts. He is a great athlete and has the potential to be a Serge Ibaka-type stretch-4/rim protector. Turner is still plenty rough around the edges though. He fell in love with his jumper just a little too much in his lone year and Texas was not the juggernaut they could have been.</p>. PF. Texas. Myles Turner
Devin Booker. 11. player. 100. <p>Devin Booker could be the best shooter in the Draft and his name will start coming up more and more as he gets the chance to workout. He shot 41.1 percent on 3-pointers in his lone year at Kentucky as the guy to spread the floor for all the Wildcats’ many weapons.</p>. SG. Kentucky
player. 118. <p>Kelly Oubre is one of those “he just looks like a NBA player” kind of guys. He has all the measurables of a NBA small forward. His stat line is modest though and he largely did not play up to his athletic potential in his lone year at Kansas.</p>. SF. Kansas. Kelly Oubre. 12
F. UCLA. Kevon Looney. 13. player. 66. <div class=
Kevon Looney is definitely a guy that has the raw talent to be the next great stretch-4 and a banger down low. That kind of dual ability is rare in the NBA today. He is probably what Zach Randolph is trying to become in expanding his range. Looney is all rangey athleticism right now and will have to continue growing into his body some. He is still very raw.
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13
Kevon Looney
F, UCLA
Kevon Looney is definitely a guy that has the raw talent to be the next great stretch-4 and a banger down low. That kind of dual ability is rare in the NBA today. He is probably what Zach Randolph is trying to become in expanding his range. Looney is all rangey athleticism right now and will have to continue growing into his body some. He is still very raw.