With Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks paving the way, the top five NBA draft picks from 2018 have been selected as the top five NBA rookies this season.
Doncic and Young were unanimous first-team selections for the NBA All-Rookie team, which was announced Tuesday. Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson and Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley III are also on the first team, which was chosen by 100 voters who cover the league.
Ayton, Bagley, Doncic, Jackson and Young were the first five picks in the last year’s draft.
This marks the first time since the 1984 draft that the first five picks ended up as first-team all-rookie – the selections that year being Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Charles Barkley. That was the entirety of the rookie team that season; the NBA didn’t start doing first- and second-team selections until 1988-89.
The Hawks had two all-rookie selections this season, with Kevin Huerter on the second team to join Young. Also on the second team were a pair of Los Angeles Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet, along with Cleveland’s Collin Sexton and New York’s Mitchell Robinson.
Rookie of the year will be announced at the NBA Awards show in Los Angeles on June 24. Doncic, Young and Ayton are the finalists.
Doncic and Young join other unanimous first-team all-rookie picks over the last decade: Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell (2018), Malcolm Brogdon and Dario Saric (2017), Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis (2016), Andrew Wiggins (2015), Michael Carter-Williams (2014), Damian Lillard (2013), Kyrie Irving (2012), Blake Griffin (2011) and Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry (2010).
