The race for top prospect of the 2015 NBA draft wasn’t close, just as many predicted it wouldn’t for so long. But instead of Jahlil Okafor running away from the field, it was Karl-Anthony Towns who emerged as the consensus No. 1 player in the class.

The Philadelphia 76ers big man had a stranglehold on that distinction for most of the college basketball season. His Minnesota Timberwolves counterpart emerged as a competitor for it as fall turned to winter, and finally reached Okafor’s status as a prospect by the spring had arrived. Once summer hit, though, Towns had usurped him as an easy favorite to be chosen first overall – a development some saw coming long before then.

But this season’s rookie crop wasn’t swayed by the pre-draft process. They not believe in Okafor more than Towns immediately, but down the road, too. In an annual survey conducted by NBA.com’s John Schumann, the first-year players picked the former Duke superstar to win Rookie of the Year and have the best career.

Who will be the 2015-16 Rookie of the Year?

Okafor is certainly an understandable choice for Rookie of the Year. He’s the most accomplished scorer in the rookie class and should emerge as something close to Philly’s go-to offensive option as the season progresses. Turnovers and efficiency will certainly be a problem – not to mention defense – but he’ll almost certainly have the numbers normally befitting that honor.

It’s Okafor garnering the highest number of votes for the next question that begs more scrutiny.

Which rookie will have the best career?

This is where it’s pertinent to remember that NBA players put a premium on point production in deciphering overall quality. It’s why they consistently named Kobe Bryant the world’s best player long after his prime, and presumably why Okafor’s rookie peers are so high on his future as well as his present.

We should mention that choosing the low-post maven here is hardly crazy. There’s a reason Okafor was the No. 3 pick in the draft, after all. He certainly has All-Star potential. But his ceiling doesn’t reach nearly as high as Towns’, or even those of guys like D’Angelo Russell or Kristaps Porzingis. The destiny of his career aligns closely with Al Jefferson’s arc; those other players could be truly foundational pieces.

But this is all guess-work, of course. We’ll begin to find out answers to these questions come the fall. Can’t wait.

[Via NBA.com]