NBA Mock Draft: New York Knicks select Duke star

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) celebrates after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 71-64 in the 2015 NCAA Men

16. Boston Celtics

One of the main weapons on Wisconsin’s Final Four team was the athletic Sam Dekker. Dekker has the rare size and speed to be a fantastic wing player at 6’9″. He has the ability to create on his own shot, and over the course of last season saw his shot greatly improve. It is difficult to find players with the physical gifts like Dekker has, and he will be a great addition for the Celtics, who will be looking to stockpile more young talent. If Dekker continues to hit three-pointers like he did in Wisconsin’s tournament run, he will be a steal for Boston.

17. Milwaukee Bucks

Another freshman from Kentucky will go off the board at No.17 for the Milwaukee Bucks. Trey Lyles did play a bit out of position at times at Kentucky, as he is power forward more than a small forward due to a lack of quickness. At 6’10” Lyles is a pretty polished offensive player with a good jump shot, good handles, and good vision passing. Compared to Towns and Cauley-Stein, Lyles was a poor defender, and that is something he will need to improve on at the next level.

18. Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans)

The injury to Patrick Beverley was a bad one for the Houston Rockets. In the playoffs, Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni aren’t going to be able to get it done against a player like Stephen Curry. While Beverley is a pest on defense, he doesn’t add much on the offensive end of the court. With a need to upgrade at point guard, the Rockets will select Jerian Grant from Notre Dame. Grant is most successful with the ball in his hands, which would make him a valuable weapon off the bench when James Harden is getting his rest. If Grant can improve his jump shot, he will be able to succeed with Harden and the wide open looks he will be getting. Grant is a great pick and roll point guard, which would be an excellent pair with Dwight Howard.

19. Washington Wizards

Adding a young power forward is the Washington Wizards’ greatest need in the NBA Draft, and they will fill that need with Kevin Looney from UCLA. Looney was a talented freshman at UCLA, and has a very high upside. Looney was a fantastic rebounder in college, and will bring the ability to crash the offensive glass to Washington. He improved offensively over the course of last season, but still could use improvement in his mid-range game. Adding Looney would help put the finishing touches on a Wizards team that is very close to being one of the best in the Eastern Conference.

20. Toronto Raptors

With Lou Williams being a free agent this offseason, the Toronto Raptors will look to replace him with shooting guard Rashad Vaughn from UNLV. Like Williams, Vaughn is a scorer and also like Williams he can be inconsistent. If the Raptors are looking to truly replace Williams, Vaughn is certainly a player to be compared to him. Vaughn has good size and strength at 6’6″ and could be a great pick for the Raptors if Williams is gone.

Next: Picks 21-25