Dan Feldman’s 2015 NBA draft board for Pistons

I unveiled my tier-based NBA draft rankings at ProBasketballTalk today.

The idea is to sort players by value (a combination of current level, potential and likelihood of reaching potential). When multiple players appear to have extremely similar values, rather than parsing the difference, they’re placed into the same tier.

When drafting, always pick a player from the highest tier with a player remaining. If multiple players remain in that tier, choose the one that fits the team best.

So, it’s close to a best-prospect-available method. Essentially, fit is the tiebreaker.

The board at ProBasketballTalk covered the entire first round, which in this draft, contains 11 tiers. Within each tier, players are sorted for a team working from a blank slate.

Here, the players are sorted within each tier based on their fit with the Pistons. I also added a 12th tier that runs through the Pistons’ second-round pick, No. 38, and actually one spot further. That tier contains explanations for the players. If you want to read my explanations for the top 32 players, they’re at PBT.

One last note: The best fit at No. 38 could change depending what the Pistons do at No. 8. I sorted players in those lower tiers based on what the Pistons have now.

Without further ado, my top-39 draft board for the Pistons, who have the No. 8 and No. 38 picks in the 2015 NBA draft:

Tier 1

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky

Tier 2

2. D’Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State

3. Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

Tier 3

4. Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia

5. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China

Tier 4

6. Justise Winslow, SF, Duke

Tier 5

7. Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona

8. Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia

9. Myles Turner, C, Texas

Tier 6

10. R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State

11. Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky

12. Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin

13. Bobby Portis, PF, Arizona

14. Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State

15. Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

Tier 7

16. Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin

17. Tyus Jones, PG, Duke

Tier 8

18. Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas

19. Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA

20. Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky

21. Delon Wright, PG, Utah

Tier 9

22. Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia

23. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona

24. Christian Wood, PF, UNLV

25. Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame

Tier 10

26. Michael Frazier, SG, Florida

27. Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse

28. Cedi Osman, SF, Turkey

Tier 11

29. Anthony Brown, SF, Stanford

30. Richaun Holmes, PF, Bowling Green

31. Mouhammadou Jaiteh, C, France32. Joseph Young, SG, Oregon

Tier 12

33. Vince Hunter, PF, UTEP

Hunter is a beast on the boards and can guard multiple positions. But he’s rough around the edges offensively.

34. Arturas Gudaitis, C, Lithuania

Gudaitis embraces contact on both ends and moves well in all directions, including up. On the downside, he’s already 22 and has neither advanced offensive skills (shooting, passing) nor defensive awareness.

35. Rakeem Christmas, C, Syracuse

Christmas posted some eye-popping numbers last season: 17.5 points. 9.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. But he’s 23 and didn’t get good until his senior year – a major red flag. Still, there’s the possibility he truly advanced as a player rather than just outgrowing his competition.

36. Cliff Alexander, PF, Kansas

Alexander playing fewer than 500 minutes in his freshman season probably works in his favor. We can suppose there’s still hope of him living up his elite recruiting rankings, even though he looked inadequate at everything besides blocking shots and offensively rebounding.

37. Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville

An undersized energy player who doesn’t always play hard. He doesn’t have a natural feel for chasing down rebounds, either. But his explosiveness brings potential.

38. Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville

Rozier can get to the basket, and that’s a start. But he doesn’t effectively finish, draw fouls or pass once he gets there.

39. Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV

Vaughn is just 18 and has offensive talent. But even considering that, his inefficiency last season was disappointing. He must select shots better, because he lacks the athleticism to keep playing how he plays.