NBA Players: 5 Sophomores who could be an All-Star in the upcoming season

The draft class of 2018 was one of the most versatile and talented one in recent times. It proved yet again that the NBA never fails to deliver top-notch talent every year, and that a good bunch of this group consisting of mostly teenagers have promising careers waiting for them. There seems to exist no palpable doubt that the future of the league is in safe hands.

However, while the possibility of an underperforming sophomore year persists even for the best of talents, it doesn't take away from the fact that we are lined up for some exciting quality of basketball from these youngsters in the upcoming season.

Let's take a look at the five sophomores who could transform into legit All-Stars during their 2019-20 campaign.

#5 Mitchell Robinson

The Knicks finished last season with the worst record of the league.

Despite New York missing out on Zion, the front office made sure to surround the up-and-comers on the roster with all-round veteran talent. One of the outstanding bright spots appears in the form of the 7'1 center Mitchell Robinson. The 21-year-old led the rookies in blocks last season averaging 2.44 swats per game while also posting the best field goal percentage (69.42%) of his class.

“I slide my feet more than I did (at the beginning of his rookie season). The game kind of slowed down for me at the end of last season. So the only thing I can do now is pick up where I left off last season, which is continue to stay out of foul trouble and get better,” said Robinson who averaged 3.3 personal fouls per game during his rookie year.

Robinson, the 36th pick in 2018 NBA Draft, certainly emerged as the most surprising prospect, especially with his stellar performance on the defensive end of the floor for the Knicks. His efficiency of 14.84 (while also averaging 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 66 games for New York) was bested only by the top 4 picks from last year's draft.

#4 Marvin Bagley III

Bagley was an impressive standout during the recently held Team USA Camp for the FIBA World Cup

If there's even a tiny possibility that the 2nd pick of the 2018 draft can live up to the burgeoning offseason hype, the Kings are in for a ride during the upcoming season.

“Marvin was killing. He was doing his thing. He got promoted, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to continue, but I thought he was on his way to having a nice impact on this team,” Harrison Barnes said about Kings teammate Bagley's withdrawal from the Team USA roster.

In just his first year, Marvin Bagley racked up almost 15 points along with 7.6 rebounds per game, having played over 25 minutes per contest in his 62 appearances for the Kings. Besides Buddy Hield's breakout year, the 20-year-old Bagley's presence was a major factor in Sacramento making a noticeable splash on the NBA landscape last year.

After earning First Team All-Rookie honors, Marvin is set to make that imminent leap to the next pedestal.

#3 DeAndre Ayton

Ayton's double-double average is a first for a rookie in franchise history for the Suns

Having posted imposing averages like 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game across the 71 games in his first year, the former Arizona Wildcat is looking to build off a strong rookie campaign.

Despite inconsistencies of the point guard position on his team throughout the season, the 21-year-old maintained the best efficiency (22.62) of all rookies. Now that he gets the luxury of playing alongside Ricky Rubio - one of the league's more reliable PGs - it's bound to help Ayton succeed and thrive moving forward offensively.

Deandre Ayton is only the third rookie since 2000 to average 16 points and 10 rebounds, the other two being Blake Griffin and Karl-Anthony Towns. He showed an impressive touch of effective professionalism throughout the year, quietly putting together a historically efficient season.

#2 Trae Young

Trey might be the best ball handler of his draft class

In what initially seemed to be a runaway contest for the ROY award, Trae Young turned up his level of play post the All-Star break and transformed it into one of the most enticing debates across the league.

Having started in all 81 games he played for the Hawks in his rookie year, the 20-year-old averaged 19.1 points and 8.1 assists per game. He led his draft class in assists per game and posted the second-best scoring average amongst all rookies.

Despite the Atlanta Hawks not getting back to winning ways on a regular basis, Young emerged as a promising franchise cornerstone for the future. Trey raced to 482 shots from the three-point line in 2018-19 which was the fourth-most all-time by a rookie.

#1 Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic dominated his rookie class for the most part of last season

By the halfway mark of his 2018-19 campaign, the Slovenian phenom had cemented his place as one of the most skilled and mature rookies ever to have set foot on an NBA court. Through the course of the regular season, many experts had already deemed Luka Doncic as the unofficial Rookie of the Year, owing to clutch playmaking and superhuman basketball IQ.

It is not often that a rookie finds his name amongst the top All-Star snubs, but that's how good Luka is. He led the rookies in scoring with an average of 21.2 points per game - which exceeds the offensive potential of many existing and prominent NBA names - and played over 32 minutes per contest across the 72 games he started in his very first season.

On his way to winning Rookie of the Year officially, the 20-year-old European sensation also recorded 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. His high-quality play when coupled with Porzingis puts the Mavericks on a surefire winning trajectory in the coming days.