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2015 NBA Mock Draft 4.0 Pre-Draft: Full first-round mock and analysis

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It's time for Bright Side of the Sun's final mock draft before the actual draft on Thursday. Here's the same disclaimer as before with this being my own opinion instead of a prediction and you can find my mock from two months ago with my original thoughts on some of these picks. Take a break from putting DeMarcus Cousins in the trade machine and enjoy.

1. Minnesota Timberwolves- Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Kentucky

Towns is the best prospect in the draft and is a much better fit for Minnesota's offense and defense than Okafor. I'm not sure he's going to have the true three-point range on his jumper, but let's all look at the video of him shooting in an empty gym again! He's still going to grow a ton offensively and does a lot of great things as a defender. A lot of teams in the NBA do not have an A option for the futre and now Minnesota will have 1A in Wiggins and 2A in Towns.

2. Los Angeles Lakers- Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

There's a lot of buzz for D'Angelo Russell here, but that doesn't make a ton of sense and this is coming from someone who is obsessed with Russell's game. Point guard has a ton of depth right now and the Lakers are a primetime free agent destination. Take one of the best post players we've ever seen one year out of high school and move on.

3. Philadelphia 76ers- D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State

The Sixers can't get cute with this. Russell is a special offensive player who is going to give them a true scorer, shooter, and playmaker. The way he sees the floor is really going to help out Joel Embiid and especially Nerlens Noel. Russell and Dario Saric would be terrific together. The Sixers like long two-way players, but they just need to take the guard they desperately need.

4. New York Knicks- Justise Winslow, SF, Duke

The Knicks power in free agency to get a point guard and a big name elsewhere on the floor makes Winslow a great fit here. He can guard three positions, hit threes, make plays in transition, and do the rest of the little things on the floor. He's the consistency they can rely on while they retool the roster.

5. Orlando Magic- Willie Trill Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

The closer we get to the draft the more obvious this got for me. Nik "Vucci Mane" Vucevic is a terrific offensive player, but he's not exactly that on the other end. WTCS could cover for him on the other end and finally give Vucevic some relief on the boards. Now you've got Elfird Payton, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, and WTCS to score on. First to 85 points wins!

6. Sacramento Kings- Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China

I'm pretty sure this won't happen because it makes too much sense. The Kings have been trying to find a point guard like this forever and Mudiay slips to six. The way Mudiay runs the pick-and-roll would make Cousins even more dangerous and add more value to guys like Jason Thompson and Carl Landry. Mudiay needs to get his jump shot down and he's not an elite athlete. Still, he has the size and court vision to warrant a selection here.

7. Denver Nuggets- Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia

If Porzingis falls this far I really hope the Suns try to move up. The Nuggets need some young talent besides Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris and that's definitely what Porzingis is. He might have the highest ceiling in this draft with where the NBA is headed in regards to pace and space. Porzingis needs a physical center next to him to reach that and that's certainly what Nurkic is.

8. Detroit Pistons- Mario Hezonja, SF. Croatia

Stan Van Gundy wants shooters and that's what Hezonja does best. I think he has the highest ceiling in this draft. He could be the next Kobe. Seriously. His red flags are no joke though and that's why I think he falls this far. If the right team drafts Hezonja and he can cool it with the antics a bit he is going to be phenomenal.

9. Charlotte Hornets- Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona

This is a similar approach with what the Magic did. The offense is kind of a mess so let's try to make the other side of the ball elite instead. When Johnson is fully focused he's a lockdown defender at any level and his offense isn't as far away as you think it is. Johnson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could shut down opposing wings for a decade.

10. Miami Heat- Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, Wisconsin

The Heat need young talent so badly, but they want to win now. Kaminsky would give them a great offensive option off of the bench and some insurance in case Hassan Whiteside decides to be a full-time crazy person. Erik Spoelstra is a terrific head coach and he could find a way to make Kaminsky work on defense.

11. Indiana Pacers- Myles Turner, PF/C, Texas

Turner has a crazy high ceiling and the Pacers could get the most out of him with David West and Roy Hibbert showing him the ropes. Turner has a chance to be a fantastic floor spacer and shot blocker in the NBA. He's not bad in  the post and is good at passing the ball, but the rest of his game needs work. Hibbert could show him how to protect the rim and West could show him how to move on the court as a stretch big. Great fit.

12. Utah Jazz- Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas

Despite a need at point guard the Jazz should not take one in this spot. Dante Exum was a lot better than you think in his rookie season and there are a couple of point guards available for trade. They have a real big 3 for the future and solid role players so they should just take the guy with the highest ceiling. That's Oubre, who has a very good chance to be a great DTA - defense, threes, athleticism - guy in the NBA. It's mostly potential at this point though.

13. Phoenix Suns- Montrezl Harrell, PF/C, Louisville

Whoa! Like the Magic pick this is starting to make more sense the closer we get to the draft. Harell is a workhorse who will devour your soul with strength and power on the glass. His length makes up for his size and he's a much better athlete than your traditional rebounding undersized 4. I actually think he's close to being productive on offense, but at the bare minimum he gives the Suns energy, rebounding, heart, and fills the need of backup 4 and 5. That's worth a slight reach. Montrezl forever.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder- Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky

I don't think Booker can do much except shoot at this point in his development, but boy can he really shoot it. This is the type of team that only needs him to shoot as well so it's a great fit. Maybe the Thunder finally get the right guy at 2 guard.

15. Atlanta Hawks- Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin

The Hawks might get gutted by free agency and they need an extra body on the wing. I'm not sold on Dekker as a shooter, but he can do a lot of things right on the floor and I think he could play right away for Atlanta.

16. Boston Celtics- Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky

BPA here for the Celtics. Even if Lyles was tough to fully evaluate at Kentucky it's still easy to tell that he has a high ceiling. This is good value.

17. Milwaukee Bucks- R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State

The Bucks desperately need a rim protector and more shooting. I think Hunter is a disaster on defense, but he's a lights out shooter and that's really valuable right now.

18. Houston Rockets- Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State

The Rockets need a point guard so this is a great result. Payne's the best fit for Houston out of the three point guards in this range and he's the highest rated of those three by most.

19. Washington Wizards- Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas

There's a lot of great blends of value and fit from 14 to here so that's why Portis falls so far. The Wizards need something at power forward for now and the future so this is a great result. Portis is a tough two-way player who has a good jumper and plays with a lot of energy.

20. Toronto Raptors- Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA

This is a weird spot for the Raptors. Looney fills a need, but he's raw in a lot of spots on the floor. At the very least he can give them rebounding and flexibility offensively while they figure out the rest.

21. Dallas Mavericks- Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame

The Mavs are really going to need guards. Grant sees the floor very well and could be a great two-way player if he cleans up a couple of things on defense.

22. Chicago Bulls- Tyus Jones, PG, Duke

I had Tyler Ennis to Chicago last year so why not continue that trend. I love Jones. He does everything you want a point guard to do. If he can survive the athleticism jump he will thrive.

23. Portland Trail Blazers- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona

Nic Batum struggled last season and Hollis-Jefferson would give the Blazers an insurance policy. He's the best perimeter defender in the draft and is moving up draft boards because people are starting to figure out that he's not useless on offense. This is a steal at 23.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers- Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia

The Cavs need depth and that's what Anderson could bring. He should be able to hit threes, defend, and run and that's all you need if you're the Cavs.

25. Memphis Grizzlies- Jarrell Martin, SF/PF, LSU

I love Martin as a prospect and this is a great fit for his skill set. I'm not sure what position he can guard, but he has the size, athleticism, and shooting to be a legit weapon on offense.

26. San Antonio Spurs- Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV

This pick annoys me. Vaughn has the scoring ability and body to play right now. The Spurs are the type of team to figure out what else he can do.

27. Los Angeles Lakers- Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse

The Lakers need talent and at this point in the draft they should try to hit a home run. McCullough has a crazy blend of point forward and true big skills, but he's weak inside, has an inconsistent motor, and tore his ACL in January. He's worth the risk for anyone after 25.

28. Boston Celtics- Anthony Brown, SG, Stanford

Brown is flying up the draft boards because he's really good at shooting the ball and defending. That being all Brown can do doesn't decrease his value because of how valuable those skills are.

29. Brooklyn Nets- Delon Wright, PG, Utah

Don't let Wright's jumper scare you. He has the size, defense, rebounding, and point guard skills to succeed in the NBA. He's down here because of his jumper and his lack of a ceiling.

30. Golden State Warriors- Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville

This is the type of fluid rotation that will help Rozier. He's a great athlete who can attack, shoot, and defend. Rozier not knowing how to be a point guard could work out in Golden State.

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