2015 NBA Draft: Start time and online streaming

The 2015 NBA Draft will be held in Brooklyn on Thursday. ESPN will air and stream the event, with Rece Davis, Jalen Rose, Jay Bilas and Jay Williams offering their perspectives.

This could be an unusually exciting draft. We could be witnessing the formation of a new powerhouse in Minnesota, with the Timberwolves -- who already have a future star in Andrew Wiggins -- getting their pick of the 2015 crop. Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to be their selection and the fit is perfect. The versatile center should help a poor defensive team improve immediately while providing a future running mate for Wiggins and Ricky Rubio.

This year's draft will also be the third in the Philadelphia 76ers' experiment to bottom out and try to find a star by getting one of the top selections, a strategy that has yet to yield results. With a nucleus of Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric already in place, Philadelphia is supposed to select D'Angelo Russell, a guard who can provide the shooting and ball-handling it needs. Yet it's impossible to predict what general manager Sam Hinkie will do, so Kristaps Porzingis might hear his name called earlier than anticipated.

This is also a key draft for the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, and it will be their last chance to add young talent before having to hand over picks they owe in future drafts. Landing a star or at least a quality starter is a must, so there's no room for error. Mitch Kupchak will likely play it safe and go with Jahlil Okafor, but Steve Mills and Phil Jackson could move down or reach for a player if they feel he fits the style of play they are trying to establish.

The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, meanwhile, will have a chance to pick higher than anyone would have expected a year ago because of injuries to their All-Star small forwards, Paul George and Kevin Durant. If the front office nails its picks, the rich could get richer. The same applies to the Atlanta Hawks, which won 60 games last season but will pick No. 15 because of a pick swap with the Brooklyn Nets.