Busting Brackets
Fansided

SEC Basketball: Top 10 returning players for 2018-19

By Dakota Cox

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 12
Next
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: Reid Travis #22 of the Stanford Cardinal brings the ball up the court agfainst the California Golden Bears during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cardinal won 76-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: Reid Travis #22 of the Stanford Cardinal brings the ball up the court agfainst the California Golden Bears during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cardinal won 76-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mentions

Reid Travis, Kentucky

After transferring from Stanford for his senior season, there are high expectations on Reid Travis‘s head. Many believe he is the missing piece that will carry Kentucky past Kansas in the rankings for best team in the country. If Travis played for UK last year, he would be high on this list. Unfortunately, he is ineligible due to the fact that he transferred.

Tevin Mack, Alabama

Same song, second verse. Tevin Mack sat out last season after transferring from Texas. He will be one of the Tide‘s many scoring threats this year. He will probably start most of the games for Avery Johnson, and he should close out all of them. If he saw time on the floor last year, he could be considered. Unfortunately for Tide fans, he cannot make this list either.

5 reasons why the Tide will go dancing in 2018-19. light. Related Story

Herb Jones, Alabama

Herb Jones is more pro-ready than half of the players on this list. His skill set is where the NBA is heading: lengthy guards who can switch anything and be a pest on defense. He reminds me of a weaker Kawhi Leonard, if Kawhi was a guard. Some team will take him and simply ask him to lock down a single player on offense, and he should be able to do that. However, he might not start most games for Alabama this year.

Jared Harper, Auburn

Jared Harper is a great player. He will be a key contributor for the Tigers this year. However, this is a numbers game. I started with Harper on my top ten, but I just managed to find ten players who needed to be on it more than him.

Anfernee Mclemore, Auburn

Another great player, Anfernee Mclemore deserves serious consideration. If he played for a team without other options, he could easily have made the top ten. However, in Auburn’s system, he won’t get the touches he needs to be a star. He’ll need to cut down on his fouling in order to get more minutes and be trusted during tough road games.

Home/SEC