The Atlantic Division lived up to its "Titanic Division" moniker by hosting four teams with sub-.500 records. The Toronto Raptors, who avoided that cruel fate by winning a franchise-best 49 games, met their demise in the NBA Playoffs after losing in four games to the Washington Wizards.
The Philadelphia 76ers (18-64) and New York Knicks (17-65) had the two worst records in the Eastern Conference, so they'll be looking to strike gold with their respective top-5 picks. The Brooklyn Nets are giving up eight of their picks through 2020, so they'll need to make the most of one of their limited opportunities to actually draft someone. The Boston Celtics sneaked into a first-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they're still a long way away from being a contender.
Toronto Raptors
Picks in 2015 NBA Draft: No. 20
Area(s) of need: Rebounding big, 3-and-D wing
General manager Masai Ujiri drafted his prospect of the future in 2014 by selecting Brazilian Bruno Caboclo 20th overall. He needs to take the opposite approach this year by going with a rookie who can provide more of an immediate payoff.
With Tyler Hansbrough, Chuck Hayes, Greg Stiemsma, and Amir Johnson all hitting unrestricted free agency, the Raptors will need to prioritize drafting a 4 or 5 as insurance should one or more of those names head elsewhere. Montrezl Harrell would be an excellent fit as he wouldn't need many touches in the offense, leaving more room for the trigger-happy backcourt to get looks.
A 3-and-D wing would also be ideal, but there doesn't appear to be many options projected to hover around the No. 20 pick. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would provide plenty of defense, although his shooting remains a work in progress.
Potential Targets, No. 20: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona; Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville; Kevin Looney, PF, UCLA
Boston Celtics
Picks in 2015 NBA Draft: No. 16, No. 28, No. 33, No. 45
Area(s) of Need: Power forward depth, rim protector, slashing wing
Danny Ainge's crew has youth at every position with 12 players on the roster 27 years of age or younger. With a litany of picks at their disposal, don't be surprised to see the Celtics package a few of them together to either move up the pecking order or deal for a veteran who can aid in putting the team over the top.
If Boston keeps the No. 16 pick, a power forward like Trey Lyles could fit the bill. He's a versatile scorer who can step out and shoot from midrange or operate with his back to the basket. Even as a rookie, he'd give the Celtics more at the position than Brandon Bass has for the past few years.
None of Boston's current wings have ever shown the willingness to get to the charity stripe or create contact by driving to the rim. Kelly Oubre needs to add more to his frame, but he can develop into that aggressive cutter for Brad Stevens with some added muscle.
Potential Targets, No. 16: Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas; Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky; Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
Nos. 28 and 33: Arturas Gudaitis, C, International; Jordan Mickey, PF, LSU
Brooklyn Nets
Picks in 2015 NBA Draft: No. 29 (From Atlanta), No. 41
Area(s) of need: Shooting guard, athleticism
Bojan Bogdanovic, a second rounder who averaged nine points with 28 starts for the Nets this past season, proves that late picks don't need to be tossed to the wayside.
Brooklyn will need to do its homework this year, though, because there won't be many more chances in the coming years to fix any holes through the draft.
A 24th-place finish in the NBA in pace wasn't surprising, as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez aren't players who look to run the floor and play an up-tempo style. There's nothing wrong with that, but Brooklyn should look to speed things up just a smidgen more.
Potential Targets, No. 29: Christian Wood, PF, UNLV; R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State; Anthony Brown, SF, Stanford
No. 41: Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky; J.P. Tokoto, SG, North Carolina
Philadelphia 76ers
Picks in 2015 NBA Draft: No. 3, No. 35, No. 37, No. 47, No. 58, No. 60
Area(s) of need: Point guard, a shooting big
Sam Hinkie has his frontcourt of the future in Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid (should he ever recover from his foot injury), and European prospect Dario Saric. Now he needs someone who can lead that brigade of bigs into battle.
D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are the obvious choices, although Hinkie could end up shocking everyone by drafting another big like Kristaps Porzingis.
There could be another K.J. McDaniels lurking in the second round, but if history repeats itself, Philadelphia will just end up trading him for nothing.
Potential Targets, No. 3: D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State; Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China; Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
Nos. 35 and 37: Andrew Harrison, PG, Kentucky; Jarell Martin, SF, LSU
Nos. 47, 58 and 60: Joseph Young, PG/SG, Oregon
New York Knicks
Picks in 2015 NBA Draft: No. 4
Area(s) of need: Pretty much everything.
The second-worst record in franchise history didn't even land the team from The Big Apple a top-3 pick, but that doesn't mean the Knicks are dead in the water come draft night.
While it would have been nice to have either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor land in their lap, New York can hit it big by landing one of the highly touted point guards (Russell or Mudiay), taking a defensive presence like Willie Cauley-Stein (who would surely help the disastrous 28th-ranked defense), or trading down and acquiring assets.
Potential Targets, No. 4: Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China; Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky; Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
