by Joseph Fafinski Point Guards: When it comes to the 2015 draft class, the floor generals are relatively hit-and-miss. Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell and Chinese study Emmanuel Mudiay are considered the only "sure things", but keep on the lookout for Tyus Jones, this year's Final Four MVP, and Cameron Payne, this year's token small school, big heart talent. 1. D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State 2. Emmanuel Mudiay, Guandong Southern Tigers (China) 3. Jerian Grant, Notre Dame 4. Tyus Jones, Duke 5. Delon Wright, Utah 6. Cameron Payne, Murray State 7. Terry Rozier, Louisville 8. Oliver Hanlan, Boston College 9. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky 10. T.J. McConnell, Arizona Shooting Guards: The likely first-round shooting guards in this year's class are fairly untested, save for Devin Booker, who played the grueling Kentucky schedule, and fringe pick Norman Powell of UCLA. All eyes will be on top dog Mario Hezonja. Look for Terran Petteway and Michael Qualls of Nebraska and Arkansas, respectively, to garner more draft chatter as we near June 25th's main event. 1. Mario Hezonja, FC Barcelona (Spain) 2. Devin Booker, Kentucky 3. R.J. Hunter, Georgia State 4. Rashad Vaughn, UNLV 5. Norman Powell, UCLA 6. Michael Qualls, Arkansas 7. Tyler Harvey, Eastern Washington 8. Terran Petteway, Nebraska 9. Marc Garcia, FC Barcelona (Spain) 10. Aaron Harrison, Kentucky Small Forwards: Perhaps the most top heavy of the positions, small forward will undoubtedly give us at least five, if not eight, first round selections. Justise Winslow and Stanley Johnson lead this pack of athletic terrors, among them sleeper Justin Anderson of Virginia. 1. Justise Winslow, Duke 2. Stanley Johnson, Arizona 3. Kevon Looney, UCLA 4. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin 5. Kelly Oubre, Kansas 6. Justin Anderson, Virginia 7. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona 8. Anthony Brown, Stanford 9. Aleksander Vezenkov, Aris BC (Greece) 10. Jonathan Holmes, Texas Power Forwards: Essentially, any of the top three listed can be interchangable. Bobby Portis, Myles Turner, and Trey Lyles can all expect to go anywhere from 8th to 20th in June's draft. Portis is the top gun based on his superior ability to stretch the floor as a power forward, something that more than makes up for his lack of athleticism. Also, all hail Cliff Alexander's amazing and rapid decline. 1. Bobby Portis, Arkansas 2. Myles Turner, Texas 3. Trey Lyles, Kentucky 4. Montrezl Harrell, Louisville 5. Jarell Martin, LSU 6. Christian Wood, UNLV 7. Cliff Alexander, Kansas 8. Chris McCullough, Syracuse 9. Aaron White, Iowa 10. Brandon Ashley, Arizona Centers: This group features four surefire lottery selections. Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns really could be 1a and 1b; Kristaps Porzingis and Willie Cauley-Stein may go back-to-back somewhere in the latter stages of the top 10. Alan Williams of UC-Santa Barbara may be the best center you've never heard of. 1. Jahlil Okafor, Duke 2. Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky 3. Kristaps Porzingis, CB Sevilla (Spain) 4. Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky 5. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin 6. Robert Upshaw, Washington 6. Dakari Johnson, Kentucky 7. Nikola Milutinov, Partisan Belgrade (Serbia) 8. Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse 9. Cady Lalanne, Massachusetts 10. Alan Williams, UC-Santa Barbara | Ranking Results By Origin: Kentucky-- 7 Arizona-- 4 Duke-- 3 Arkansas, FC Barcelona (Spain), Kansas, Louisville, Syracuse, UCLA, UNLV, Wisconsin-- 2 60 Picks Top 30 Who Have Withdrawn Since April Ranking: -Kris Dunn, PG, Providence -Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma -Caris LeVert, SG, Michigan -Jakob Poetl, C, Utah |
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