NBA Draft Rumors: Kentucky Sends Seven Players To 2015 Draft
NBA Draft rumors indicate the Kentucky Wildcats have a lot of entries. The 2015 NBA Draft could have seven players from the 38-1 Kentucky squad selected during the two rounds. As revealed by Jeff Goodman on ESPN, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, Dakari Johnson, Andrew Harrison, and Aaron Harrison have all declared themselves eligible for the draft.
This news isn’t entirely unexpected, as Kentucky had a lot of national media attention during its run this season. What future NBA Draft rumors will address, though, is just how high players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein will be selected. They are both considered lottery picks, and Towns might be one of the first two players taken off the board. It is likely to be either Towns or Jahlil Okafor of Duke who gets that honor. Another report from ESPN confirmed that Okafor also declared his intentions on going pro.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke at length about the decision Jahlil Okafor made.
“What a great decision. This is a tremendous opportunity for Jahlil, and he has earned it. Obviously, he has done an incredible job here at Duke and he will always be a part of our Duke basketball family. We could not be happier for he and his family.”
A recent mock draft was constructed at CBS Sports, and it went with the assumption that the New York Knicks would wind up with the first overall selection. It states that Jahlil Okafor would be selected first, followed by Karl-Anthony Towns by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then Emmanuel Mudiay by the Philadelphia 76ers. Other Kentucky and Duke players projected to go early in the 2015 NBA Draft are Justise Winslow at No. 5 to the Orlando Magic, Willie Cauley-Stein at No. 6 to the Sacramento Kings, and Devin Booker to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 16.
Trey Lyles and Tyus Jones are projected to go later in the first round, and then Dakari Johnson and Andrew Harrison are projected to be taken in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. That leaves out Aaron Harrison, who then might be able to sign a free agent contract immediately following draft day. It’s also possible that he could move up the list after some of the teams have a chance to watch him practice in person. This mass exodus from Kentucky was expected, especially after the team failed, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, to secure a national championship.
The future holds many more 2015 NBA Draft rumors, as teams will try to position themselves to make a big splash. The big day will take place on June 25, 2015.
[Image Source: Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
