McDonald’s All-Americans decide who should be the No. 1 NBA draft pick in 2015

There’s an elephant in the room at the McDonald’s All-American game, but no one wants to acknowledge it. The scouts are a visible presence as players work throughout practice and the idea hangs over every question about their future at media day.

College is the next step for the best young basketball players in the country, but deep down all of them know it’s ideally only a stepping stone before making millions in the NBA.

The age rule has prevented high school players from entering the draft since 2005, so each and every player in Chicago for the McDonald’s game will spend a minimum of one year in college. If it works out the way they hope, one year from now they will have the opportunity to turn pro and be selected in the lottery.

It was only 12 months ago that Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay were going through the same experience at the McDonald’s game. Now each is in position to potentially be selected No. 1 overall in June’s draft.

Everyone has an opinion on who should be the top pick, and that includes the players who could be in the same position a year from now. With that in mind, we polled the All-Americans about who they would take No. 1 overall in 2015.

The specifics: You’re the GM of an expansion team with the first pick in the 2015 draft. You can build around any draft-eligible player. Who are you taking?

“I’m gonna take Towns,” said Jaylen Brown, the consensus No. 2 prospect in the class and currently projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by DraftExpress. “He can score in the post and he can stretch the floor. I know him, he plays the game the right way. Good guy, humble guy, marketable. If I had to start a team, I’d take him, no shots to any of the other guys.”

Towns has been on the rise lately after basically single-handedly beating Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. He’s No. 1 on DraftExpress and with ESPN’s Chad Ford for the first time all year. Somewhat surprisingly, Brown (whose uncommitted and considering Kentucky) was the only current All-American we polled to select Towns.

Pretty much everyone else went with Okafor.

Point guard Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Chase Jeter (Duke), shooting guard P.J. Dozier (South Carolina) and power forward Henry Ellenson (Marquette) were all sitting at the same table when I threw the question out there. Jeter (who will replace Okafor in Duke’s starting lineup next season) and Brunson (who played together on the same AAU team with Okafor) both said Okafor with no hesitation.

That’s when I raised an important counterpoint: Do you guys not care about defense at all?

Jeter: “How many times do you see Jahlil get lit up by another center, though?”

I said it’s also part of Okafor’s job to protect the rim from penetrating perimeter players.

Jeter: “That’s on the guards. They have to do better at keeping people out of the paint.”

Brunson: Nah, Jahlil’s defense is suspect. Remember when they couldn’t stop Miami?”

I told Brunson he would know, because last season he dropped 55 points on Okafor’s Whitney Young High School team in the Illinois State semifinals 12 months ago.

“56,” Brunson corrected me.

Dozier: “I’d go Russell. You need a guard.”

The second most popular pick was Emmanuel Mudiay, the former SMU commit who played professionally in China instead of going to college. Big man Stephen Zimmerman said he’d take Mudiay, making him the lone center to choose against Okafor. Mudiay’s former backcourt running mate in AAU, Malik Newman, also picked Mudiay.

Everyone else said Okafor. Diamond Stone threw the question back at me, but spun it forward: “Who would you take in 2016?”

I told him that it doesn’t really matter because none of you jokers are half as good as Karl Towns. (I did not say that because Diamond Stone could eat me)

Here’s the run down of answers:

Jaylen Brown: Karl-Anthony Towns

Jalen Brunson: Jahlil Okafor

Chase Jeter: Jahlil Okafor

Stephen Zimmerman: Emmanuel Mudiay

Malik Newman: Emmanuel Mudiay

Diamond Stone: Jahlil Okafor

Calton Bragg: Jahlil Okafor

Malachi Richardson: Jahlil Okafor

P.J. Dozier: D’Angelo Russell

Henry Ellenson: Jahlil Okafor

Ivan Rabb: Jahlil Okafor

Final count: