ACC Basketball: Top 5 rising juniors for 2018-19

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop) Kyle Guy #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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4. Markell Johnson, NC State

The NC State Wolfpack had a great run in Year 1 under head coach Kevin Keatts. That shouldn’t change in his second season as they’ll have 6-foot-1 guard Markell Johnson to rely on. Johnson started in all but two of the 24 games he appeared in for the Wolfpack as a sophomore.

He averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game as he put up four double-doubles for the Wolfpack offense in 2017-18. Johnson produced double figures in assists on eight different occasions, including in five consecutive games during his sophomore season.

Johnson anchored a masterful performance last season, steering the Wolfpack to a 21-12 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014-15. They return with Johnson leading the way and the additions of grad transfers forward Wyatt Walker (Samford) and big man Eric Lockett (FIU) should give him a new arsenal of players to work with.

He’s also a player that teams shouldn’t sleep on defensively, either. The crafty guard had at least one steal in all but two appearances last year, including four steals in four contests.