The NBA announced its All-Rookie squads for the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday afternoon, and to the surprise of no one, the league’s top-two rookies were unanimously named first-team selections. Both Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Atlanta Hawks standout Trae Young saw their names appear on every first-team ballot, the only players this year to receive that honor.
Joining the pair who were effectively traded for one another on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft are the three players picked around them: Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley, and Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. As for the second-team, two lottery picks were joined by a trio of players selected a little later in the draft. Los Angeles Clippers guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton made the second-team, as did Clippers guard Landry Shamet, Hawks forward Kevin Huerter, and New York Kicks center Mitchell Robinson.
Here are the entire first and second-team selections, along with the players who received votes but just missed out on inclusion in the teams.
Mitchell Robinson received 3 votes for first team All Rookie. Fellow Knicks Kevin Knox (22 votes for the second team) and Allonzo Trier (10 second-team votes) also received votes. Brooklyn’s Rodions Kurucs had 10 second-team votes: pic.twitter.com/e1D4rYcgKU
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 21, 2019
According to a release from the league, this marks the first time since 1984-85 that the top-5 picks in the preceding NBA Draft made up the first-team All-Rookie squad. That year, the team was made up of Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, and Charles Barkley. That’s come close to happening recently — four of five players from the top of the 2008-09 NBA Draft (Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook) were first-team selections — but the fact that this year’s class pulled it off is our latest reminder that the top of last year’s draft has the potential to be historically great.
