The 2018 NBA All-Junior Teams
This year’s rookies are incredible, and the sophomores have come around. So why is the junior class so disappointing?
It seems like every night lately, some rookie is lighting up the NBA playoffs. Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons were the story of the first round. In round two, it’s been Jayson Tatum and OG Anunoby. The sophomores have made the rounds, too. Joel Embiid and Dario Saric struggled over the past week but led Philly to an impressive first-round win. Jaylen Brown has starred for Boston, and Toronto’s bench mob is led by Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and Jakob Poeltl. So where have all the juniors gone?
Led by unicorns Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nikola Jokic, it looked like this group of third-year players would be an all-timer. But only one of those three even made the playoffs, and Towns was horrible in his brief appearance. Almost no one from this junior class has made even a ripple in these playoffs, outside of Scary Terry Rozier.
We already recognized outstanding Rookie and Sophomore All-NBA teams. So what’s up with the junior class?
First Team All-Juniors
C Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota
It’s a shame we focus so much on the things Towns doesn’t do well, because he’s so darn good at everything else. KAT racked up 21 points and 12 boards a game, coming within 15 free throws the vaunted 50–40–90 club, finishing with 55/42/86 shooting. That includes a 47% mid-ranger and a ridiculous 65% true shooting, eighth in the NBA behind just Curry, Korver, and a bunch of dudes that only dunk the ball. Towns led the league with a 127 offensive rating, and he led Minnesota with a 107 defensive rating. He finished first in the NBA with 68 double-doubles, producing consistently night after night.
Which makes it all the more silly that Towns is continually treated as the third banana in Minnesota’s offense. KAT had 16 or less field goal attempts a horrifying 65 times this season, including all five playoff games. That’s just unacceptable for one of the most offensively gifted big men in the game, maybe ever. He took 20+ shots only seven times all season. For comparison, 41 other players had more games of 20+ field goal attempts, including such luminaries as Michael Beasley, Harry Barnes, and Nikola Vucevic. Ew.
For crying out loud, let Towns eat.
C Nikola Jokic, Denver
The NBA doesn’t pigeonhole its All-Rookie teams into positions, so we won’t either. Nikola Jokic is awesome, and the rest of the NBA world finally noticed over the final months of the season as Denver made their playoff push.
Jokic put up 18/11/6 with highlight passes every night. The list of players to put up an 18/10/6 season is just Wilt, Oscar, Bird, KG, Russ, and now Jokic, and he did it with 50/40/85 shooting. Jokic is an offensive savant. He sees and makes passes like almost no one else in NBA history. Jokic almost single-handedly turns Denver’s offense into an elite unit while on the floor, and he did that despite constantly changing Nuggets lineups and injuries.
And all of that actually underrates the way Jokic finished the season. Beginning in February, Jokic averaged an absurd 22/11/7 with 53/48/86 shooting and a 127 offensive rating. That sort of line hasn’t happened in the NBA over a full season since the 60s. If Jokic does this again next season, he’ll be the First Team All-NBA center, no matter how bad his defense is.
G Devin Booker, Phoenix
Devin Booker ranked 25th in the NBA in win shares this season.
Wait, let’s try that again.
Devin Booker ranked 25th in the NBA in win shares this season among third-year players. He finished with fewer win shares than names like Salah Mejri, Kevon Looney, Richaun Holmes, and Pat Connaughton. Not great, Bob.
Of course, Booker also threw down a 25/5/5 line as a 21-year-old shooting more threes and free throws than ever and hitting 38% and 88% of them. Here are the players in NBA history to average 20/4/4 at age 21 or younger for a full season: Jordan, LeBron, Magic, Kobe, McGrady, Iverson, Isiah, Webber, Tyreke Evans, and Devin Booker. Decent list to be on, and Booker’s season ranks fourth on the list in true shooting.
Still, Booker has yet to play a meaningful minute in his NBA career, and he’s probably yet to play a defensive minute too. He’s good, but it’s impossible to tell just how valuable he is until he stops playing in JV games all year.
F Kristaps Porzingis, New York
All-NBA teams are about recognizing the best players from the season, and they tend to disregard injuries a bit if a player was good enough. Porzingis played just 48 games, but there’s no question he belongs on the All-Junior First Team. He became “the guy” in New York and stepped up in the spotlight with a career high 23ppg, keeping a decrepit Knicks roster in the Eastern playoff race before his injury.
Still, is Porzingis really improving, or is he just playing and shooting more? KP’s scoring is up from 14 to 18 to 23ppg over three seasons, but his steal, assist, and rebound rates have dropped each year, and his shooting is still pretty average for a presumed sharpshooter. Porzingis made a career-best 40% threes but hit only 45% of his twos, and he’s yet to make 50% of his twos over a full season, troubling for a 7'3" dude. He made only 60% at the rim this year, down 10% from last year. Porzingis still doesn’t have a body that can hold up to the wear and tear of the NBA season. And that’s not based on his fluke ACL tear. It’s based on career scoring averages that drop each month of the season (with March the lone exception), from 23 in October to 14 in April. It’s based on Porzingis shooting 47% for his career in October and November but just 42% the rest of the year.
It’s not all gloom and doom. Porzingis is fouling less, his turnover rate is down, and his free throws and blocks are up. And, of course, the scoring went up with similar efficiency and precious little help around him. The injury may not be all bad either. Assuming a full eventual recovery, his short-term absence meant a better Knicks pick this summer and should mean an even better one next year. He needs all the help he can get.
F Josh Richardson, Miami
Richardson finally played healthy all season and already looks like a huge bargain on his forthcoming 4-year $42-million extension. He’s one of the game’s elite perimeter defenders, and he found his shooting stroke again after struggling last season. Richardson was one of nine NBA players with at least 2% steal and block rates, an impressive defensive list: Draymond, Brow, Simmons, Boogie, Drummond, Covington, SloMo, and Bazemore. Add in an above average three pointer and you get a veritable who’s who of the NBA’s best 3-and-D guys over the past few decades, a list of 34 guys including names like Kawhi, Battier, Danny Green, Matrix, Kirilenko, and Horry.
Miami’s name will come up in a lot of trade talks this summer, and most rumors will focus on Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. But make no mistake about it: Josh Richardson is the prize jewel on this Heat roster.
FIRST TEAM ALL-JUNIORS
C Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota
C Nikola Jokic, Denver
G Devin Booker, Phoenix
F Kristaps Porzingis, New York
F Josh Richardson, Miami
Second Team All-Juniors
G Terry Rozier, Boston
Just like every other NBA award, this is a regular season recognition. Which means LeBron still isn’t the MVP, Spida and Tatum still aren’t the Rookie of the Year, and Terry Rozier still isn’t First Team All Juniors. He’s a heck of a player anyway, despite being something like Boston’s seventh best player and fourth most valuable guard.
Of course, he also eats spaghetti, sugar, and Ranch dressing sandwiches. So honestly, how good can Scary Terry be?
C Myles Turner, Indiana
If someone told you before the season Indiana would win 50 games and almost take down LeBron in round one, you’d have probably figured that meant Myles Turner taking that next big step. That was not the case.
Instead, Turner regressed in almost every way, outside of adding a passable three-point shot. He struggled through injury much of the year and, by the end of the year, wasn’t even Indiana’s best young big man anymore the way Domantas Sabonis was playing. As great as Victor Oladipo was this year, the Pacers need Turner to bounce back for this thing to be real.
F Bobby Portis, Chicago
Look ma, a nice Bulls thing! So yeah, there’s a pretty steep drop-off from the First to Second Team juniors. Portis is nice enough. He averaged 13/7/2 on solid shooting and looks like at least a rotation big. He was absolutely ridiculous in The Bobby Portis Game, when he shredded the vaunted Sixers defense for six threes and 38 points en route to a masterful tanktastic loss in the only NBA game I attended in person this season. So there’s that.
C Larry Nance Jr., Lakers and Cavaliers
Nance can’t seem to find a spot in Cleveland’s playoff rotation, perhaps because the Cavs are -9.8 per 100 possessions with him on the court. That’s in stark contrast to his +5.8 per 100 during the season as the prize Cavs trade deadline acquisition amidst a bunch of bigger names.
Nance only does a few things, but he does them really well, and he does them with out-of-this-world athleticism. Add that to 61% true shooting and 125–104 ortg-drtg, plus you have to respect a guy who plays through Chron’s disease and brings it every night. Nance finished third among all third-year players in win shares this season, behind only KAT and Jokic.
C Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
Harrell increased his scoring output each month of the season, and he finished the year averaging 31 points and 12 rebounds per 100 possessions off the bench, looking at times like the Clippers’ best big man against a lethargic DeAndre Jordan. Harrell is the perfect bench big, a bundle of energy who fights for every ball and plays hard on every possession. He may never be much more than that, but in this class, that’s enough.
SECOND TEAM ALL-JUNIORS
G Terry Rozier, Boston
C Myles Turner, Indiana
F Bobby Portis, Chicago
C Larry Nance, Lakers and Cavs
C Montrezl Harrell, L.A. Clippers
Honorable Mentions
F Kelly Oubre, Washington
F Justise Winslow, Miami
F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn
C Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento
F Jonathon Simmons, Orlando
It’s a pretty depressing junior class. Lots of decent rotation-worthy numbers here from a bunch of bench-worthy players, much like several of the names chosen ahead of them here. How many definite NBA starters are in this class? Seven? It’s not great. These guys produced, but mostly because they got time.
G Delon Wright, Toronto
F Nemanja Bjelica, Minnesota
G Tyus Jones, Minnesota
F Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte
C Boban Marjanovic, L.A. Clippers
*slow fart noise*
Nice production in limited minutes is great, but if you’re actually good, shouldn’t you be earning real playing time by the end of your third season? Then again, Thibs gonna Thibs.
Dishonorable mention:
G D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn
Russell averaged 16/4/5 this year, which probably puts him First Team Juniors among many casual fans. He should just as well be out of the piece all together. Russell shot 41% from the field and made only 32% of his six threes attempted per game. He had a 98 offensive rating, right in line with his career number, and he was terrible defensively.
On the plus side, Russell increased his assists this year and started to show off the passing gene everyone fell in love with. On the minus side… everything else. Russell is fouling and turning it over more than ever, shooting worse than ever, and can’t stay healthy. He’s shown precious little improvement over three seasons and is starting to look like the Andrew Wiggins of point guards, minus the franchise-suffocating contract extension… for now.
The good news: D’Angelo Russell is still only 22. And hey, at least he isn’t Jahlil Okafor.
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