NBA Mock Draft 2015: Complete First Round, Trades and Analysis

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

6) Sacramento Kings (John): Emmanuel Mudiay

For the past couple of seasons, star big man DeMarcus Cousins has bumped heads with a few different Sacramento Kings starting point guards with a “shoot first” mentality.

His frustrations started with Tyreke Evans (who has since been traded) and included Isaiah Thomas (who has also been traded). The talented Emmanuel Mudiay is cut from the same cloth, but is too talented to not take at this spot.

Drafting Mudiay is a bit of a gamble because he got injured early on playing in the Chinese Basketball Association and only played 10 games, so the sample size of him playing against pros is small. However, in the games he did play in (including the CBA playoffs), he was pretty effective.

Similar to Evans, he is bigger than the average point guard and uses penetration to create offense for his team.

Mudiay would be a steal for the Kings at the six spot because it has been reported that the Knicks would be interested in possibly drafting him at the four spot.

(editor’s note: The Kings passed on Elfrid Payton last season to draft Nik Stauskas. Now they want to sign Rajon Rondo. Makes sense…)

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

7) Denver Nuggets (Oz): Stanley Johnson

Mike Malone comes to Denver in what can be described as nothing less than a rebuild.

Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are reportedly being shopped and Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are entering the last year of their contracts. This team needs to start from scratch and that starts with Stanley Johnson, who’s potentially the best two way wing in this draft.

The recently turned 19-year-old is a manchild who can score inside and out. Because bigs and point guards garner the attention, Stanley likely will slip more than he should, but in 10 years or so we might look back in amazement that six other players went above before him in this draft.

Mike Malone prioritizes defense and will be more than happy to start reshaping this team around with his first true building block.

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Justise Winslow warms up before the 2015 NCAA Men

8) Detroit Pistons (DJ): Justise Winslow

10 years down the line, we very well might look back at June 25, 2015 and remember Justise Winslow as the best player taken in this draft.

If he falls this far, it will be not only be a steal for the Detroit Pistons, it’ll be a total no-brainer – this is a Pistons team with basically nothing on the wings. (Sorry, Cartier Martin.) Winslow has mouth-watering two-way potential and great athleticism, he plays angry, and the kid’s a winner.

Personally, I think Justise Winslow has more obvious superstar promise than anyone else in this draft. Have fun with this dude, Stan Van.

Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

9) Charlotte Hornets (Ben): Cameron Payne

This is a bit of a reach, but I’m a lot higher on Cameron Payne than some.

Nowadays, a lot of NBA teams have a number of guards on their roster that are capable of starting. The Charlotte Hornets will probably lose Mo Williams this summer and they’ve lacked a good backup for quite some time.

The oft-injured Kemba Walker has struggled with his efficiency and the Hornets might be able to include him in a deal in the future. Payne would give the Hornets some much needed depth at the point guard spot, and if Walker is eventually dealt, he could end up taking over at the starting spot.

Payne averaged over 20 points at Murray State and his scoring ability will carry over to the next level. Charlotte needs a spark and I think Payne can give that to them more than Devin Booker, who’s also been linked to the team.

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) reacts after a dunk against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of the 2015 NCAA Men

10) Miami Heat (John): Willie Cauley-Stein (Traded to Indiana)

While initially drafting Cauley-Stein for some big man insurance off the bench, I decided to go for this trade that included Devin Booker because of all the “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” signs of All-Star/face of the franchise Dwyane Wade leaving the Heat.

With the current Heat lineup (excluding Wade) of Goran Dragic, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside, the Heat should be in contention in the Eastern Conference. Add in Devin Booker at shooting guard and you have a solid and talented starting five.

Booker would be a huge upgrade for an NBA team that at one point started (!) three guys who started the year down in the D-League but was still in contention late for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. There are still some question marks with Booker such as his defense, ball handling and overall toughness, but his NBA-ready jumpshot should make his transition a little smoother.

Plus, with the added protected 2016 lottery pick, the Heat could start looking at power forwards to eventually replace Bosh once he decides to retire (which with his health concerns could be sooner than later).

Next: Picks 11-15 including a trade