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DraftExpress released their latest 2015 NBA Mock Draft Tuesday, where they have the Atlanta Hawks selecting Kansas' Kelly Oubre Jr. with the 15th overall pick.
Oubre played just 21 minutes per game in his 36 games as a freshman at Kansas, and averaged 9.3 points and five rebounds per game. He measured just over 6-6 in shoes at the NBA Combine, and an impressive 7-2 wingspan.
The 19-year-old has great athleticism to go with his length, which would be a great addition to the current Hawks roster. All of these sound promising for a Hawks team drafting in a position that is very much hit-or-miss.
DraftExpress writer Jonathan Givony explains how Oubre's length and athleticism will help him be an immediate impact on the defensive end, which would suit the Hawks very well:
The place where he'll be able to put those tools to use most prominently early in his NBA career should be on the defensive end, where he is far from a finished product, but shows terrific potential as a wing stopper. Oubre moves his feet exceptionally well for his size and has the length to contain pretty much any type of backcourt player. He can put terrific pressure on the ball and has excellent instincts for getting in the passing lanes (2.2 steals per-40). He also rebounds well for his position (7.6 D-Reb per-40) and comes up with an occasional block at times as well.
Oubre is still building up his offensive game, but like the man who he replaced at Kansas, Andrew Wiggins, he too has a very high ceiling:
Offensively, Oubre's most NBA-ready attribute is likely his jump-shot, as he has soft touch, natural scoring instincts, a nice follow through, and smooth mechanics when in rhythm. He was a little bit streaky at times (36% 3P%) as a freshman, partially due to shot-selection issues, but he has a nice foundation in place to make this part of his game a dangerous weapon with repetition. Oubre has a tendency to change up his release point at times when rushed, sometimes shooting the ball on the way down, off the side of his hand, or with very little arc, but he's improved steadily on this part of his game over the past few years and should continue to do so in time with proper instruction.
Oubre also has an abundance of confidence, as he displayed during his workout with the Utah Jazz:
Kelly Oubre at workout: "I’m a good defender, a great defender actually. I’m pretty confident in my game that I can stack up with the best."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) June 14, 2015
Kelly Oubre said he’s studied Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. "I feel like I can be as good as or better than those guys."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) June 14, 2015
Attn: NBA executives, Kelly Oubre just called his shot: "Whoever calls my name on draft night, I’m going to help them win a championship."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) June 14, 2015
Here is Oubre's video from DraftExpress: