NBA mock draft time has nearly surpassed its usefulness. The 2015 NBA Draft takes place next Thursday (June 25), leaving teams very little time to finish preparations for the big day. Another 2015 mock draft has been released by NBA.com , and there is a new prediction for who the New York Knicks will take with that No. 4 overall selection. The Knicks have a lot of work to do, with recent NBA trade rumors suggesting team president Phil Jackson may deal the pick. That might still happen, but it’s interesting to also look at what NBA.com has to say about a potential international star getting selected.
In this new 2015 NBA mock draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves are predicted to take Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Thomas with the first overall selection. The next two picks are predicted to be Duke center Jahlil Okafor to the Los Angeles Lakers and Ohio State shooting guard D’Angelo Russell to the Philadelphia 76ers. At No. 4 in this mock draft, NBA.com has Kristaps Porzingis of Spain going to the New York Knicks. He provides a lot of size (7-0, 220) and potential on offense but has some work to do to get ready for the NBA.
As for some of the other predictions, NBA.com has Duke small forward Justise Winslow going to the Orlando Magic at No. 5, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (from China) going to the Sacramento Kings at No. 6, and shooting guard Mario Hezonja (from Spain) going to the Denver Nuggets at No. 7. The rest of the top 10 picks are predicted to be Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Detroit Pistons, Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson to the Charlotte Hornets, and Texas big man Myles Turner to the Miami Heat. These are interesting projections that could certainly shift if any draft day trades are coming.
As previously reported on the Inquisitr , teams like the Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics could be looking to make some big trades in the coming week. It had been suggested that the Knicks would deal the No. 4 pick if Okafor isn’t on the board, likely shaking up this latest NBA mock draft quite a bit. If it goes down as predicted, though, the Knicks might be taking another chance on an international player. He would add a lot of size to the front line, allowing Carmelo Anthony to possibly play more small forward than he has recently.
As advertised by the league, the 2015 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 25. Live coverage will be provided by ESPN, with all 60 picks (30 per round) taking place that evening. Though there is limited time left until the big day takes place, there are likely going to be a few more NBA mock drafts that come out first. Fans shouldn’t expect big changes, which means the Knicks might really go after Porzingis if the experts at NBA.com have pegged it correctly.
[Image Source: Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
