Dissecting the biggest surprises on NBA draft night

NEW YORK — With rumors flying at the top of the draft, there were sure to be a couple of surprises in store for NBA fans.

What were some of the most unexpected picks and situations from the 2015 NBA draft?

Justise Winslow falling to No. 10

Duke forward Justise Winslow had a wide range of opinions around the league, with some feeling he was a top-5 pick.

Few, however, expected Winslow to fall to the Heat at 10th overall. It was a great outcome for the Heat, who were only 2 games away from losing their pick, which was top-10 protected, to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Instead, the Heat came away with one of the top defensive players in the draft, and a player who showed significant growth as the season progressed.

If Winslow is able to extend his improved perimiter shooting out to the NBA three point line, the Heat capitalized in on their good luck.

Willie Cauley-Stein going to the Kings at No. 6

The Kings had been linked to the Kentucky big man early in the draft process, as many believed that Sacramento wanted to improve their defense by adding another shot blocker to their frontcourt, and push DeMarcus Cousins to the power forward spot.

That talk died down in recent weeks, and there was talk that Cauley-Stein could fall out of the lottery altogether.

The speculated fall was the result of a couple of things, including Cauley-Stein's raw offensive game, and speculation concerns over whether Cauley-Stein's surgically repaired left ankle would cause him any future problems.

The Kings had been in discussions over trading DeMarcus Cousins to the Los Angeles Lakers, although those talks ultimately did not come to fruition before the draft. Now the Kings will attempt to alter the complexion of their front court by adding Cauley-Stein's versatile defense alongside Cousins.

The amount of undrafted talent

The 2015 draft had a lot of talent go undrafted.

The list includes UNLV sophomore Christian Wood, Kansas' Cliff Alexander, former Washington big man Robert Upshaw, Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier, Texas senior Jonathan Holmes, and french big man Mouhammadou Jaiteh.

While there were some concerns that may have scared teams off, especially the character concerns that resulted from Robert Upshaw being dismissed from Washington earlier this year, each of those prospects had significant upside. At one point, Upshaw, Wood, and Holmes were all thought to have an outside chance at being a first round pick, and it was surprising that somebody didn't take a risk on them on a non-guaranteed contract somewhere in the second round.