NBA Draft updates: MSU's Dawson heading to New Orleans
FIRST ROUND
1. Minnesota: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky
2. Los Angeles Lakers: D'Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State
3. Philadelphia: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
4. New York: Kristaps Porzingis, F, Latvia
5. Orlando: Mario Hezonja, G, Croatia
6. Sacramento: Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
7. Denver: Emmanuel Mudiay, G, China
8. Detroit: Stanley Johnson, F, Arizona
9. Charlotte: Frank Kaminsky III, C, Wisconsin
10. Miami: Justise Winslow, F, Duke
11. Indiana: Myles Turner, C, Texas
12. Utah: Trey Lyles, F, Kentucky
13. Phoenix: Devin Booker, G, Kentucky
14. Oklahoma City: Cameron Payne, G, Murray St
15. Atlanta: Kelly Oubre, F, Kansas (rights traded to Washington)
16. Boston: Terry Rozier, G, Louisville
17. Milwaukee: Rashad Vaughn, G, UNLV
18. Houston: Tyus Jones, G, Duke
19. Washington: Jerian Grant, G, Notre Dame (rights traded to New York via Atlanta)
20. Toronto: Delon Wright, G, Utah
21. Dallas: Justin Anderson, F, Virginia
22. Chicago: Bobby Portis, F, Arkansas
23. Portland: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, F, Arizona (rights traded to Brooklyn)
24. Cleveland: Tyus Jones, G, Duke (rights traded to Minnesota)
25. Memphis: Jarell Martin, F, LSU
26. San Antonio: Nikola Milutinov, C, Serbia
27. Los Angeles Lakers: Larry Nance Jr., F, Wyoming
28. Boston: R.J. Hunter, G, Georgia St.
29. Brooklyn: Chris McCullough, F, Syracuse
30. Golden State: Kevon Looney, F, UCLA
SECOND ROUND
31. Minnesota: Cedi Osman, G, Turkey (rights traded to Cleveland)
32. Houston: Montrezl Harrell, F, Louisville
33. Boston: Jordan Mickey, F, LSU
34. Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Brown, F, Stanford
35. Philadelphia: Willy Hernangomez, C, Spain
36. Minnesota: Rakeem Christmas, F, Syracuse (rights traded to Cleveland)
37. Philadelphia: Richaun Holmes, F, BGSU
38. Detroit: Darrun Hilliard, G, Villanova
39. Charlotte: Juan Vaulet, F, Argentina (rights reportedly traded to Brooklyn)
40. Miami: Josh Richardson, G, Tennessee
41. Brooklyn: Pat Connaughton, G, Notre Dame (rights traded to Portland)
42. Utah: Olivier Hanlan, G, Boston College
43. Indiana: Joseph Young, G, Oregon
44. Phoenix: Andrew Harrison, G, Kentucky
45. Boston: Marcus Thornton, G, William & Mary
46. Milwaukee: Norman Powell, G, UCLA (rights traded to Toronto)
47. Philadelphia: Arturas Gudaitis, C, Lithuania
48. Oklahoma City: Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
49. Washington: Aaron White, F, Iowa
50. Atlanta: Marcus Eriksson, G, Sweden
51. Orlando: Tyler Harvey, G, Eastern Washington
52. Dallas: Satnam Singh Bhamara, C, India
53. Cleveland: Sir Dominic Pointer, F, St. John's
54. Utah: Daniel Diez, F, Spain
55. San Antonio: Cady Lalanne, F, UMass
56. New Orleans: Branden Dawson, F, MSU
57. Denver: Nikola Radicevic, G, Serbia
58. Philadelphia: J.P. Tokoto, F, North Carolina
59. Atlanta: Dimitrios Agravanis, F, Greece
60. Philadelphia: Luka Mitrovic, F, Serbia
Branden Dawson taken by Pelicans
Branden Dawson had to wait, but he was eventually taken by New Orleans with the 56th overall pick.
Dawson has struggled to stay motivated at times during his collegiate career, but when he's going good, he's going real good. The young man will have to work hard and earn minutes at the next level.
Pistons take Villanova guard in 2nd round
The Pistons used their second round pick on a spot up shooter, Villanova's Darrun Hilliard, who will have to earn his way onto the roster.
It's not a bad pick. The Pistons need shooters. You put this guy in the summer league and see how he responds. Hilliard has good length and could contribute as a role player down the road.
Louisville star taken by Rockets
Montrezl Harrell was one of my favorite college basketball players. This guy has a motor that no one can match. He's a little undersized for a big man, and that's why he was taken in this spot, but I can definitely see him carving out a spot for himself in the NBA and having a nice career.
Final Four's MOP heading to Minnesota
Tyus Jones is a point guard with a smooth shot and great ball skills. If he were a little bigger, he could have easily been a lottery pick.
Jones played alongside a lot of talented guys at Duke, but he was the one that walked away as the Most Outstanding Player for the national champion.
Jones was taken by Cleveland at No. 24, but then traded to Minnesota for the 31st and 36th overall picks.
Former Wolverine Hardaway Jr. traded to Atlanta
Tim Hardaway Jr. is part of a proposed trade that would send him to the Hawks for the 19th overall pick, Notre Dame's Jerian Grant.
That's a lot of dealing tonight for the Hawks, who traded their original first round pick to Washington for this selection, then turned around and shipped this pick to New York for a guy that can occasionally light up the scoreboard.
Keep in mind, none of these trades are official until the NBA signs off on them.
Wisconsin's Dekker is a Houston Rocket
Sam Dekker came out of nowhere to star for the Badgers in 2015.
He's a big body that can shoot and get to the hole. Dekker will fill the role that Chandler Parsons left after leaving for Dallas prior to last season.
Oubre heading to Washington via trade
The Hawks are trading 15th overall pick Kelly Oubre to the Wizards for tonight's 19th overall pick and two future second round selections.
Top shooter heading to the desert
Devin Booker was someone that could've been on the Pistons radar tonight, but picking him at No. 8 was probably a bit of a stretch.
Booker is considered by man the best spot up shooter in the draft. He didn't get a lot of room to show off his athleticism at Kentucky, but a lot of experts think he can turn into a Klay Thompson-type of player.
Pistons take Arizona's Stanley Johnson
This is sure to get the fans talking. With a chance to draft Duke forward Justise Winslow at No. 8, the Pistons went with Stanley Johnson from Arizona, an athletic wing that can get to the hole and defend with the best of them.
I really thought Winslow would be the pick here. He's every bit as athletic as Johnson, but with a more polished offensive game at this point. Both are questionable outside shooters.
I still think Johnson has a chance to be a very good player. Perhaps his game will mature with time, but it is a bit perplexing to see the Pistons take him over a guy that many would peg as a perfect fit.
That being said, Johnson is an excellent defender and seems genuinely excited to be heading to Detroit.
Pistons target goes fifth overall
Mario Hezonja was on the radar of a lot of Pistons fans, but there was always a possibility the stretch-forward would be taken by the Magic in this spot.
The good news, Pistons fans, is that Justise Winslow is still on the board. He would be considered a prime selection at No. 8.
Okafor to Philly
Talk about a shocker. Jahlil Okafor, perhaps the draft's best prospect, is heading to Philadelphia.
Now it's not that Okafor isn't one of the best three players in the draft, it's that the 76ers have two young big men they've drafted in the past two years in Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.
There could be a trade in the works for one of these guys. Otherwise, I have no idea what Philadelphia is doing.
Lakers go point guard at No. 2
The Lakers had a decision to make. Do they go with the big man in Jahlil Okafor that is considered by most to be the best prospect in the draft, or do they go with a surefire point guard that can lead the team when Kobe Bryant retires? They decided to go with the latter.
Russell is a playmaker. This pick has future success written all over it.
Kentucky center heading to Minnesota
Karl-Anthony Towns, a two-way player with tremendous upside, is heading to the Timberwolves with the first overall pick.
While Minnesota likely debated about taking Towns or Jahlil Okafor, they ultimately settled on the better rim protector.
Pairing towns with Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio gives Minnesota a solid core of players to build around over the next few years. They need to add some shooters, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them competing at a high level in two to three years.
Draft night ready to roll
There's a lot of mystery surrounding the Pistons and the 8th overall pick. A lot of what they do will depend on what happens in front of them. Don't be surprised to see Stan Van Gundy pull a fast one and trade up if the player he's targeting looks to be within reach.
The top of the draft has some talented big men in Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke's Jahlil Okafor, but the steal of the night could be Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell, considered by many experts to be the surest thing in this class.
Stay here for NBA Draft news from The News' Geoff Robinson, who'll be providing updates all night long.