SEC Basketball: Top 5 rising sophomores for 2018-19

5. Herbert Jones, Alabama
Jones is one of my top 9 players in the entire country who will have breakout seasons this year because his potential, particularly defensively, is so obvious. While Sexton, fellow freshman John Petty, and Braxton Key carrying the load for Alabama offensively last season, Jones stepped up as the Tide’s defensive stopper. He was one of the best defenders in the entire conference thanks to his 6-7 frame, long arms, and elite athleticism.

4. P.J. Washington, Kentucky
The lone Kentucky player on the list as mentioned earlier, Washington chose to return to Lexington after testing NBA Draft waters and will be competing for a starting spot in the frontcourt with Stanford grad transfer Reid Travis and five-star freshman E.J. Montgomery. Washington is the Wildcats’ leading returning scorer and rebounder (10.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg), but given the offensive abilities of both Travis and Montgomery, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Washington’s role become more defensive-focused.

3. Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
Gafford surprisingly opted to return to Arkansas despite projections that had him going among the first 20 picks in the NBA Draft, and the Razorbacks are thankful he made that decision. Arkansas lost five of the top six scorers from last season’s team, so the 6-11, 235-pounder will be relied on to carry most of the burden on both ends of the floor.

2. Jontay Porter, Missouri
Michael Porter’s younger brother, Jontay reclassified to the 2017 recruiting class in order to play for the Tigers last year. While he was viewed as a good player, he wasn’t expected to have much of an impact as a freshman. That changed after just a handful of games. A back injury kept Michael off the court virtually all season, and Jontay took advantage of the increased playing time. He scored in double figures in four of Missouri’s first six games, cementing himself as a key player for the Tigers.

1. Tremont Waters, LSU
Waters largely flew under the radar a season ago due to LSU’s lackluster season, but he averaged 15.9 points and 6.0 assists (second in the SEC) per game despite the lack of overall talent that surrounded him. He tested the NBA Draft process before opting to return to school, where he’ll receive some much-needed help from a top-five recruiting class headlined by five-star forwards Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams. Those two will help take some of the pressure off of Waters, but everything is still going to run through him.