2019 NBA Award Season

The 2019 NBA All-Junior Teams

The rookie and sophomore classes have been amazing. So why is the junior class so lackluster?

We’ve analyzed all the rookies to death. Luka Doncic and Trae Young have had all-time rookie seasons, regardless of which one wins Rookie of the Year. We’ve debated the sophomores ad nauseum. Simmons or Tatum, Mitchell or Fox? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it could be one of the best NBA draft classes ever, no matter how you slice it. But with all that talk about rookies and sophomores, what’s wrong with this year’s junior class?

This year’s junior class has been one giant heap of letdown. One junior is an MVP candidate. Another might be the Most Improved Player. But after that it’s mostly disappointment after disappointment. By their third season, players are expected to be positive contributors on winning teams. So why does it feel like so many juniors are their team’s biggest question mark rather than their most exciting exclamation point?

The NBA chooses All-Rookie 1st and 2nd Teams. Why not do it for sophomores and juniors too? The league doesn’t specify positions on the All-Rookie teams, so it’s just the 10 best guys. We already chose our All-Sophomore Teams, but who are the 10 best from the 2016 draft class? If you need a refresher, here were last year’s All-Rookie and All-Sophomore teams…