Towns selected 1st by T-Wolves; Lakers choose Russell over Okafor

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected DominicanAmerican center KarlAnthony Towns with the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, but the Los Angeles Lakers made a surprise move in passing up on Jahlil Okafor in favor of flashy point guard D’Angelo Russell.

Okafor, a center who showed a polished offensive game but also defensive limitations in his lone season at Duke University and seemed like a safe No. 2 pick, fell to third and was snatched up by the already big manladen Philadelphia 76ers.

The New York Knicks got an earful from their longsuffering fans when they selected the relatively unknown 19yearold Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick in the draft, which was held Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Timberwolves could become the first team in a quartercentury to have three No. 1 draft picks on their roster (Towns; Andrew Wiggins, the 20142015 NBA Rookie of the Year; and Anthony Bennett), although the disappointing Bennett is the subject of trade rumors.

Towns, born to an AfricanAmerican father and a Dominican mother, averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in his freshman season with the University of Kentucky, where he had to share minutes with numerous other highschool AllAmericans.

Russell will team up with 36yearold great Kobe Bryant, who could be entering his final season, and the Lakers may have gambled on the sweetshooting Ohio State University standout with a view to his becoming the new face of that storied but struggling franchise.