3 takeaways from the 2015 NBA Draft

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Well, that was a lot of fun.

The 2015 NBA Draft is in the books, with the whirlwind night serving to both exhaust, excite, and confuse. There were a lot of moving parts, some under-the-radar trades, and a great deal of mock draft-busting reaches and slides for top prospects.

The best bet for catching up is reviewing theScore's NBA Draft Tracker, which contains links to pick-by-pick analysis, but here are three major takeaways from Thursday.

Sometimes falling isn't the worst thing

Sitting in the green room has to be one of the most stressful experiences of a player's life. Players are surely aware of where they're expected to go, and agents in particular likely prepare their clients for being selected in a certain range or with a specific pick. It has to be gut-wrenching to be passed over, sitting around waiting for an unknown, unexpected team to make a move.

But it's not always for the worst. Three players in particular slid and wound up in situations that could be considered better than their initial draft projections.

Justise Winslow: Winslow could justifiably have gone as high as No. 4, but slid to the Miami Heat at No. 10. That slide is real in dollar terms, as the gap in first-year salary is nearly $1.65 million. But Winslow seems like a perfect fit on the Heat, and he'll likely get the benefit of learning under Dwyane Wade and playing for what should be a quality team. This landing spot feels perfect.

Kevon Looney: Hip and back issues conspired to cost Looney a good deal of money, too. Once thought to be a top-five pick, Looney slid to around 20 on mock drafts and landed at No. 30 on draft night. That drop alone is a $377,400 hit as a rookie, but Looney was selected by the Golden State Warriors. The defending champs don't need him to contribute immediately, so they can be patient with his recovery and bring him along slowly when healthy - an important consideration when dealing with a high-upside play who isn't quite ready.

Robert Upshaw: Make no mistake, going undrafted after being a bubble first-round pick hurts a lot. The first round brings guaranteed money, and teams may be more likely to give a second-rounder a shot on the roster than an undrafted player. But going undrafted also means a player can choose his destination, a potentially crucial consideration for a player with some off-court issues to manage. Upshaw has reportedly caught on with the Los Angeles Lakers for Summer League, and his path to a roster spot is largely unimpeded.

The Knicks may not be that concerned about the triangle

For all the talk about the triangle offense in Gotham, the New York Knicks didn't seem at all concerned Thursday with drafting players who are a platonic ideal for the system.

In selecting Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick, the Knicks drew some ire and made it clear they were looking for the best talent available, fit be damned. Porzingis doesn't move the needle as fast as some others might have, and that seems to have rubbed some the wrong way given Carmelo Anthony's age - but no pick was going to make the Knicks instant contenders. Disagree with the pick if Porzingis wasn't your preference, but swinging for upside was the right move.

However, Porzingis doesn't suit the triangle much at all: he's a sharpshooting power forward without an established post game who doesn't pass much, or particularly well. That's an odd skillset for the triple-post, but again, the talent is what should have won out.

The Knicks also drafted Jerian Grant, who isn't the best fit for the triangle either. Dealing Tim Hardaway Jr., a flawed player without a ton of upside, for the No. 19 pick was a savvy move, and Grant should be a really nice player at the next level.

Valuing the point-guard position isn't a tenet of the triangle, and Grant ran an NBA-style, pick-and-roll offense at Notre Dame. The system requires intelligence, smart decision-making, and preferably shooting from its one, and Grant should provide the first two at least.

It was a solid night overall for New York. Many believe Porzingis will be one of the best players from the draft, and they got a nice piece in Grant in exchange for a fringe rotation player. Most importantly, Phil Jackson and company showed a willingness to draft for talent rather than force triangle principles into every decision. That's a good harbinger ahead of free agency.

Nobody ever knows anything, and that's awesome

Read all the mock drafts you want. Scour the rumor mills. Speculate on every trade possibility being leaked. You still won't have a clue what's going to happen when Adam Silver hits the podium to kick things off.

Multiple teams selecting in the top 10 were rumored to be shopping their picks, but no trade materialized until No. 15. Then things really got moving, with the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks making a swap out of nowhere, the Portland Trail Blazers continuing a quick rebuild in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks jumping on a second pick, and the Cleveland Cavaliers trading out of the first round.

All the while, teams were reaching for "their guys" as top prospects slid down the board. The Charlotte Hornets weren't reported to be in on Frank Kaminsky until shortly before the draft, the Bucks reached for Rashad Vaughn one pick after the Boston Celtics reached even further for Terry Rozier, and Larry Nance Jr. unexpectedly found himself in the first round thanks to the Lakers.

Oh, and the Lakers bucked earlier reports and surprised at No. 2 by taking D'Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor.

Nobody knows much of anything for sure, and that's exactly why the draft is one of the best nights on the NBA calendar.