The big day has finally arrived.
After weeks of build-up and preparations for this year’s NBA Draft – for the Knicks, several months’ worth – it will finally be time to see how things play out when commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium inside Barclays Center shortly after 7:30 Thursday night.
Here’s The Post’s final look at how the draft will unfold, with all 30 selections we see taking place in the first round:
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns
Kentucky, PF/C
7-foot, 248 pounds
If the draft had been held the week of the draft lottery, this pick very likely would’ve been Jahlil Okafor. But in the month since the Timberwolves won the right to pick first, Flip Saunders and Co. appear to have been sold on Towns’ potential to be a two-way impact player.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Jahlil Okafor
Duke, C
6-foot-11, 272 pounds
The Lakers have been linked to a few different players here – and, in recent days, linked to trying to trade for Kings star DeMarcus Cousins. Assuming the Lakers don’t get their hands on Cousins, the pick here is Okafor, who could be the franchise’s latest star big man.
3. Philadelphia 76ers: D’Angelo Russell
Ohio State, PG/SG
6-foot-5, 193 pounds
It’s always hard to get a read on just what the 76ers and secretive general manager Sam Hinkie are doing. If Russell is on the board, it’s hard to see how the 76ers could pass on him – no matter how enticing Kristaps Porzingis may be.
4. New York Knicks: Justise Winslow
Duke, SF
6-foot-7, 229 pounds
The Knicks desperately hope Towns, Okafor or Russell somehow falls out of the top three. If not? They could trade down for a massive offer from a team enamored with Euro forward Kristaps Porzingis. If they stay put, Winslow – a terrific defender on a team with none of them – would be an excellent building block.
5. Orlando Magic: Kristaps Porzingis
Sevilla (Spain), PF
7-foot-1, 220 pounds
This would appear to be a dream scenario for the Magic, who are thought to be one of the teams that is highest on the 7-foot-1 Latvian. While Porzingis will need time to develop – even the people infatuated with him think he’s a couple years away from blossoming – he has the potential to be a 3-point shooting big who can block shots, something every team covets.
6. Sacramento Kings: Emmanuel Mudiay
Guangdong (China), PG
6-foot-5, 200 pounds
The dysfunctional Kings are going in several different directions at the moment. There’s talk of them trading away Cousins on one hand, talk of acquiring Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson (a former George Karl protege) on the other. But with Mudiay – a big, physical point guard to run Karl’s up-tempo system – on the board, he makes sense.
7. Denver Nuggets: Mario Hezonja
Barcelona (Spain), SG/SF
6-foot-8, 200 pounds
The Nuggets have stressed a desire to return to the up-tempo style that defined the franchise’s best days. Hezonja, a sharpshooting Croatian with an edge, can become the latest versatile wing player in Denver’s stable.
8. Detroit Pistons: Stanley Johnson
Arizona, SF
6-foot-7, 243 pounds
Hezonja probably would be the ideal choice for coach/GM Stan Van Gundy, giving him yet another shooter on the wings. The Pistons need to fill a gaping hole at small forward, so adding Johnson – a toolsy forward with lots of potential – makes sense too.
9. Charlotte Hornets: Devin Booker
Kentucky, SG
6-foot-6, 206 pounds
The Hornets haven’t been shy about wanting to add more shooting. Their best shooter last season, Marvin Williams, shot just 35.8 percent from 3-point range. That’s why Charlotte will tap Booker, the youngest player in the draft, who hit 41 percent of his 3-pointers last season.
10. Miami Heat: Willie Cauley-Stein
Kentucky, C
7-foot, 244 pounds
After missing the playoffs this season – and watching LeBron James get back to the Finals for a fifth straight year – you know Pat Riley and Co. want to get back. Cauley-Stein, an athletic specimen who has a chance to be an elite defender, will help the cause immediately.
11. Indiana Pacers: Cameron Payne
Murray State, PG
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Given Larry Bird’s public pronouncements about Cauley-Stein, whom he recently called a $100 million player, the Pacers would gobble him up if he fell to them. Instead, Indiana can snap up Payne, who can help Bird’s quest to play faster next season.
12. Utah Jazz: Frank Kaminsky
Wisconsin, PF
7-foot, 242 pounds
The Jazz arguably could use a big man after trading Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City at February’s trade deadline. Not only is Kaminsky a versatile scorer offensively – with the kind of shooting range coach Quin Snyder likes – but he’s a nice complement to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.
13. Phoenix Suns: Myles Turner
Texas, C
7-foot, 239 pounds
With only one true center on the roster in the injury-prone Alex Len, the Suns need size. Turner, a center who is capable of knocking down a jumper, fits Phoenix’s pace-and-space system under coach Jeff Hornacek.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kelly Oubre
Kansas, SF
6-foot-7, 204 pounds
The Thunder have been searching for years for wing players capable of spacing the floor and playing defense. Oubre could be the latest attempt, with his 7-foot-2 wingspan and his respectable 3-point shooting last season at Kansas.
15. Atlanta Hawks (from Nets): R.J. Hunter
Georgia State, SG
6-foot-5, 180 pounds
The Hawks had plenty of chances to see Hunter play right down the street the past three seasons at Georgia State for his father, Ron. Hunter, with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and shooting ability, seems like a natural for Atlanta’s 3-point-heavy system under coach Mike Budenholzer.
16. Boston Celtics: Trey Lyles
Kentucky, PF
6-foot-10, 250 pounds
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is always willing to swing for the fences. Lyles spent last season playing out of position at Kentucky to get on the court alongside Cauley-Stein and Towns, and could wind up being a much better pro than he was in college.
17. Milwaukee Bucks: Bobby Portis
Arkansas, PF
6-foot-10, 235 pounds
As Milwaukee continues to shape its roster to fit coach Jason Kidd’s vision, Portis – another long-limbed, athletic player who runs the floor and can even space it a bit – gives the Bucks a big to patrol the paint at both ends.
18. Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans): Tyus Jones
Duke, PG
6-foot-1, 184 pounds
There are rumors Jones has a promise from Houston, and it makes some sense. With Patrick Beverley set to be a restricted free agent, after a postseason run during which Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni manned the point, it’s certainly a position of need.
19. Washington Wizards: Jerian Grant
Notre Dame, PG
6-foot-5, 204 pounds
The Wizards could use another ball-handler and creator offensively, two things Grant can provide immediately for a team that’s trying to continue climbing the ranks in the Eastern Conference. He can play alongside either John Wall or Bradley Beal.
20. Toronto Raptors: Kevon Looney
UCLA, PF
6-foot-9, 220 pounds
With both Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough set to be free agents, the Raptors could use a power forward. Looney, a projected lottery pick coming into the season, has slipped a bit, but is a good rebounder with the potential to provide more down the road.
21. Dallas Mavericks: Delon Wright
Utah, PG
6-foot-5, 179 pounds
After the Rajon Rondo debacle this past season, the Mavericks need a point guard. And Wright – a long, athletic player and strong defender whose brother, Dorell, is already in the NBA – could be a very intriguing fit under Rick Carlisle.
22. Chicago Bulls: Sam Dekker
Wisconsin, SF
6-foot-9, 229 pounds
With Mike Dunleavy set to be a free agent, the Bulls could look for depth on the wings in case of his departure. Dekker, who along with Kaminsky helped the Badgers reach the national championship game, fits the bill.
23. Portland Trail Blazers: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Arizona, SF
6-foot-7, 212 pounds
The Trail Blazers need another defender on the wings, particularly with Wesley Matthews possibly leaving in free agency. Hollis-Jefferson may never become an offensive force, but he could be able to develop into a force at the other end.
24. Cleveland Cavaliers: Montrezl Harrell
Louisville, PF
6-foot-8, 230 pounds
In their run to the Finals, the Cavaliers established an identity as a hard-nosed, gritty defensive team that fought for everything at both ends. There’s no player in this year’s draft who personifies that quality more than Harrell, a physical specimen with a high motor.
25. Memphis Grizzlies: Rashad Vaughn
UNLV, SG
6-foot-5, 200 pounds
The Grizzlies have tried time and again to upgrade their offense, with middling success. Vaughn is just 18 years old, but he’s shown he can score in bunches — averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting over 38 percent from 3-point range last season as a freshman.
26. San Antonio Spurs: Justin Anderson
Virginia, SF
6-foot-6, 222 pounds
It may seem like a cliché, but no one fits the mold of what it means to be a Spur more than Anderson. A rugged, physical player capable of guarding multiple positions who shot 45 percent from 3-point range last season, Anderson could step right in to contribute next season.
27. Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets): Chris McCullough
Syracuse, PF
6-foot-10, 225 pounds
With multiple first-round picks – assuming they don’t make a trade – the Lakers have the ability to take a chance with their second one. Enter McCullough, a talented big man who suffered a torn ACL last season.
28. Boston Celtics (from Los Angeles Clippers): Cliff Alexander
Kansas, PF
6-foot-9, 239 pounds
Like the Lakers, the Celtics have the ability to be a little risky with their second pick of the first round. Alexander was a top high school recruit before an up-and-down freshman season with the Jayhawks. He’s loaded with athleticism and a 7-foot-4 wingspan.
29. Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks): Terry Rozier
Louisville, PG
6-foot-2, 190 pounds
The Nets would love to move up in the draft to nab one of the higher-rated point guards. Assuming they can’t, Rozier – a long, athletic guard capable of playing both backcourt spots and knocking down a 3-pointer – fills a need.
30. Golden State Warriors: Jarell Martin
LSU, PF
6-foot-9, 239 pounds
The Warriors aren’t exactly in need of anything after rolling through the NBA to win this year’s championship. And while the Warriors could use this pick to ship out David Lee and save money, if they hang onto it, Martin could give them a forward to possibly replace him in their second unit.