The Prospect Post: Mock Lottery 3.0

1. Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke (previous spot: No. 1)

This is a tough call. Personally, I would like the T-Wolves to take Justise Winslow here so that he and Andrew Wiggins could switch on every pick-n-roll and dribble handoff (a la the Golden State Warriors) while forming the most formidable wing defense in the league. However, there is no way the T-Wolves have the stomach to pass on both potential franchise centers after landing the No. 1 pick. I could have just flipped a coin here between Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns, and I have to imagine the T-Wolves' brass will go back and forth on this decision many times between now and when the pick is due. Okafor has the better offensive game and has better makeup in my opinion, while Towns is the superior defender and has more long-term upside as a two-way player. Wiggins, Okafor and Gorgui Dieng is a dynamic frontcourt to build around, though the T-Wolves will still have some pretty significant backcourt issues after this pick.

2. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky (previous spot: No. 2)

An interesting comp for Towns would be Andrew Bynum, both on and off the court. I can see him chilling at the Playboy mansion while also leading the Lakers to the NBA Finals. The T-Wolves may have won the first pick, but make no mistake -- the Lakers won the lottery. No matter what Minnesota does, the Lakers get another franchise center for a team that has already had three of the six best big men of all time. Best of all, having Towns or Okafor will allow head coach Byron Scott to continue to play prehistoric basketball. This is not a team that will be ready to challenge for a playoff spot as currently constructed, but the pieces are starting to take shape.

3. D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State (previous spot: No. 3)

Full disclosure: I have Justise Winslow as the third best player on my board, but reasonable minds disagree, and I certainly understand the appeal of Russell. He really has no physical weaknesses and his game also shows no flaws. Russell can be the type of point guard who makes everyone better, guards the other team's best backcourt player, and also takes and makes the big shots in the final five minutes of a playoff game. Quality point guards may grow on trees, but point guards like Russell are still very difficult to find.

4. Kristaps Porzingis, SF, Sevilla (previous spot: No. 14)

I have gleefully labeled Porzingis "The Next Jan Vesely," so clearly the Knicks are going to take him. While I have several friends and co-workers who root for the Knicks, it cannot be argued that the franchise deserves nice things, so they get the guy with the most bust potential in the lottery. Perhaps he could one day become similar to the player Giannis Antetokounmpo currently is, but that's the best case scenario, and Antetokounmpo is not a franchise player yet.

5. Justise Winslow, SF, Duke (previous spot: No. 4)

The Magic have a lot of players with potenial up and down the roster, so I fully expect them to take the best player available in an attempt to continue to compile assets. Winslow, Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon could form a dynamic defensive trio, and unlike Oladipo and Gordon, Winslow has the offensive upside to lead a team. People have made James Harden comparisons with Winslow, and I think that's pretty off base. It makes sense in the open court, because they have a similar knack for getting to the rack in transition. However, Harden has a much better handle and Winslow is a much better defender. My comp for Winslow is Andre Iguodala with a jump shot. He can guard both guard positions and should be able to guard most small forwards in the pros and already has NBA range on his three-point shot. This is not only one of the safer options in the draft, but Winslow represents everything about where the NBA game is heading.

6. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China (previous spot: No. 5)

Mudiay would be a top-three pick in most drafts, and it should not surprise anyone if he gets popped by the Sixers at No. 3. In recent months I have heard talking heads who are not that plugged in refer to Mudiay as a project, or someone the Sixers might like because they could stash him, essentially intimating that he is the equivalent of a foreign player (not unlike Dante Exum) just because he played in China last year. Nothing could be further from the case. Mudiay was one of the top recruits out of high school alongside Okafor, Towns and Winslow and simply was not going to meet the eligibility requirements to go to SMU as he was going to Prime Prep, the notorious charter school run by Deion Sanders that was recently shut down amid rampant financial mismanagement. Mudiay has many of the same qualities that D'Angelo Russell possesses at the point, and he will be ready to run a team starting next season. It will simply come down to which teams prefer Russell over Mudiay and vice versa. There appears to be no way either player falls out of the top seven picks.

7. Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky (previous spot: No. 7)

Cauley-Stein is a tough guy to peg because he could go anywhere from No. 4 to No. 8 depending on how much the teams in that range want a plug-n-play defensive-minded center. I have compared him to Marcus Camby before and I think that comparison is still apt. Personally, I would prefer to take Stanley Johnson over Cauley-Stein, but I could see the Nuggets looking at the quantity of wings on their roster and opting to go with a big man.

8. Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona (previous spot: No. 6)

Johnson represents the best chance for a team looking for a franchise cornerstone after Winslow and the two point guards are off the board. His offensive game could reach refinement levels that would place him among the best scoring wings in the league, and he has already demonstrated the ability to be a defensive stopper against twos and threes. Of course, he could also just plateau in his development and settle in as a fifth or sixth man who provides outside shooting and versatile defense on the wing. Still, if that is his floor, he makes for a nice option at the back of the top-10.

9. Myles Turner, C, Texas (previous spot: NR)

Turner would be my second pick to bust after Porzingis of the players currently projected to go in the lottery, but that could just be because he received shoddy coaching at Texas and is waiting to bust out under NBA development. Either way, the Hornets keep getting stuck giving Bismack Biyombo big minutes for stretches of the season, and that has to be wearing on the front office and the coaching staff. Cody Zeller appears to be a below-average starter or a bench big, and the jury is still very much out on Noah Vonleh, so it would be difficult to be too optimistic about Turner's chances of developing if he does indeed go to the Hornets.

10. Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Barcelona (previous spot: No. 9)

Long-range shooting is the No. 1 thing the Heat could use as they look to contend next season and Hezonja offers that in spades. If Devin Booker is not the best shooter in the draft, that honor may belong to Hezonja, who cuts a Kyle Korver-esque figure when he rises and fires. It may take him a couple years to mature into a player who can be mentioned alongside Korver, but the size and the stroke are already a part of the package.

11. Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin (previous spot: No. 10)

Long have I believed in Kaminsky as a player who can be an above-average NBA big man, and that's something the Pacers could definitely use in the near future. Kaminsky's offensive prowess would be quite welcome in Indiana, and the defensive culture in place within the organization could help Kaminsky improve on that end of the court while also making up for his weaknesses.

12. Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky (previous spot: No. 8)

J.J. Redick has proven to be an above-average two guard on one of the best teams in the league, and Booker can very realistically become a similar player. He could also be better than Redick. Here is how his pre-draft measurements compare with those of Klay Thompson back in 2011:

13. Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas (previous spot: No. 12)

Other than point guard, it's pretty easy to make a case that the Suns could use a minor upgrade at every position, so this should come down to best player available. At this point in the draft the relative sure things are gone if teams are looking for a potential star. Oubre really has as much upside as anyone after Winslow in this mock, there's just a smaller chance that he is able to tap into all of his talent based on what we've seen to this point.

14. Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin (previous spot: NR)

The Thunder should probably factor in NBA readiness to this draft pick, as it could be the last year with Kevin Durant and the second-to-last year with Russell Westbrook. Dekker not only fills a need on the wing, but he should be ready to compete both mentally and physically in the NBA right away. He likely won't be much more than a fourth option on a solid team, but his versatility, strength and athleticism make him an intriguing option at this point in the draft.