The careers of the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Hawks’ Trae Young will be forever linked.
They were traded for each other, with the Hawks receiving an additional first-round pick in a draft-night deal that allowed Dallas to move up two notches.
Initially, the Mavericks looked like they had fleeced the Hawks. Doncic, who had been playing at the highest level of competition in Europe for years, made an immediate impact while Young struggled with his shooting and turnovers during the first half of last season.
Perceptions quickly changed when Young grew more comfortable with the NBA game. After averaging 16.9 PPG, 7.6 APG and 3.9 TPG while shooting 31.2% from long range, Young sliced up defenders after the All-Star break to the tune of 24.7 PPG, 9.2 APG and 34.8% shooting beyond the arc while reducing his turnovers (3.4).
Young came up short in the Rookie of the Year voting to Doncic but it was clear that both teams had franchise players on their hands.
During the early going this season, they have seemingly upped the ante. Now partnered with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, Doncic has averaged 25.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 6.8 APG and 2.0 SPG, an increase in each category from his final totals last season (21.4/7.9/6.0/1.1). Dallas is off to a 3-1 start and has the look of a playoff contender.
In Young’s first two games this season, he spoiled the Pistons’ home opener with a 39-point, seven-rebound, nine-assist performance, then posted nearly identical numbers against the Magic in another Hawks victory (38 points, seven rebounds, nine assists). He suffered a minor ankle sprain in the team’s fourth game but should be back soon.
Young’s speed, ankle-breaking moves and unlimited shooting range, a la Stephen Curry, make him a nightmare for defenders. Doncic’s guile, creativity and sneaky athleticism, a la James Harden, provide a different set of headaches for opponents.
Safe to say, both franchises are thrilled with the player they wound up with last June.
That brings us to our question of the day: If you were starting a franchise, which young floor leader would you choose — Luka Doncic and Trae Young — and why?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.
For me Doncic is the better player, he’s generational but I would have to go with Trae Young.
For me I think Young is just so talented he obviously simil to Steph Curry but Curry didn’t really pop off until his 4th year whereas Young started to take off around February this year and has had a huge offseason and looks ready to go to another level now.
I personally like that Young can pull up and hit from anywhere cause there isn’t much people that can do that, he’s also an amazing passer of the ball. People love giving credit to Doncic for how good at passing he is but Trae actually averages 2 assists more per game.
Another thing I think is important obviously is fit. Trae come into Atlanta and has gelled amazingly with all the players there whereas Doncic didn’t work with DSJ because they both wanted the ball in their hands. I think that’s also compareable to how Curry although he’s the point and also a good passer doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be effective, whereas Doncic is similar to Bron how he does a lot for your team but needs the ball and has certain team mates that’ll work with him and ones that won’t.
Lastly it’s really minor but you said to start your franchise with and another reason Young is better is he has more star power and seems to have more friends in the NBA whereas Doncic doesn’t. If it comes to recruiting talent then I believe Young would also bring in better players than Doncic would.
Young
Doncic, his skill set is harder to find than Young’s (Both are very good players).
Tough one, but gotta go with Doncic. His size allows him to pad up the boards as well. All the things he can do at his size is unique.
Doncic. He’s going to be more durable simply because of his size. His game is also going to age better, and if he has some sort of major injury (God forbid), he should return with a lot of the same abilities.
I don’t think any of these things are true of Young. He’s incredible, but like a lot of scoring guards he’s one knee injury away from being a shell of his former self.
With that argument the same could be said for young. Doncic looks thick and not the that good a shape And as he ages it will be interesting to see how much more weight he puts on. He is only 21 right now usually the easier part of life to keep weight off and is already kind of thick and not that shredded. Any player that suffers a knee injury could be a shell of themselves.
DOES MATTER CARSEN EDWARDS
Doncic, he has the chance to be everything Drazen Petrovic could have been.
He has the size and skills to be something different and special.
Young will be a great player in this league but Luka can become one of the greatest if he stays healthy.
Should be young + reddish or doncic
Doncic. It’s not close, unless you’re just talking about offensive stats. There are lots of great smaller guards, and always will be. The future of the league (and its present) belongs to big perimeter players with combo skills.
Tough call, Doncic is better now but I don’t think he can honestly get much better. While Young is a decent player but has a higher ceiling barring injury or development issues.
Guess I’d go Doncic because although I don’t see him getting much better he’s already pretty damn good where things have to break right for Young to being better than Doncic.
Thought these 2 had the biggest bust potential in the Top-5 or 6 picks of that draft tbh. They both are in perfect situations to succeed tho. They both have green lights and are allowed to dominate the ball. Young will only be as good as his %’s are. If he shoots 45% 2 and 38-40% 3 then he can probably sustain that 25-30ppg. If Doncic is producing near triple double then you have to give the nod to Doncic. Doncic in Phx maybe doesn’t workout like it has.
Luka. As, per Philly, he dropped another triple tonight.
I’ve been a Mavs fan since the Nash-Dirk days. And am very pleased with having Luka on the team I rout for. With that being said. Luka is the better player. Big, stronger, is the modern day player. He can play the “point”-“4” in old school terms. I would take him over Young in a minute. I would take Luka over everyone drafted in the last 3 drafts except maybe Donovan Mitchell.
Doncic is clearly the better player. I always said Young would be a star, is very good… but Doncic is just great & will be one of the best ever. Also if people compare Young to Curry & Doncic to LBJ… well then there is no comparison as who is the best, Doncic everyday of the week & twice on Sundays!
Doncic isnt even close to lbj what do you mean? I just watch the lakers mavericks game and doncic got pulled at the end of the game because he literally got burned all night. He isn’t athletic but uses iq to create space in the same ways nash did with the suns. But on the other end its a problem for the team. Early on lebron was a great defender and is uber athletic, doncic is a better shooter not really the same. Doncic looks more like prime carmelo to be honest.
Then you watched a different game because Luka was pulled because he had a gash in the back of his head and was groggy for the end of the fourth and beginning of the OT.
If Young is Curry, Doncic is LBJ and Mitchell is Wade who would you have.
I think you have to note that Doncics numbers are pretty similar to LeBrons and they have a similar playing style. Both ball dominate, great passing SF’s. But Trae Young is similar to Curry I’m okay style but the difference that no one notices is Young is twice as good as rookie Curry and has continued to develop a lot faster than Curry did.
Stats are stats, basketball Is not only stats.
Doncic Is going to be the best european ever from arvydas… He Is Better than trae by far… But trae is a really very good player.
Btw, nobody talks about the GENIUS who had the pick #2 and picked bagley…
The same GENIUS who gives to Harrison barnes (!) 57347848 million dollars… And take the worst coach of the League.
G E N I U S
Bagley is a great player in his own right, could be one of the better pf’s in the league. With limited minutes he showed a lot, also donic didn’t want to play for kings or hawks something most forget.
Doncic is the better all around player, Young is the more exciting player
Luka!
Most saying doncic is better overall player are hillarious….he is a terrible defender and isnt as gifted a passer as trae young. Coupled with the fact trae is a year younger and the fact that hawks got an additional lottery pick in last years draft. So one has to think is doncic that much better than young plus the lottery pick? No, he is not.
The thing that will be interesting to watch with doncic is weight (looks doughy at 21) As he gets older. He already isn’t very athletic and uses shiftiness and guile to get by defenders as he gets older loses a step and puts more weight on, who knows how good he will be.
Last night he got toasted so many times by the lakers that they pulled him in the end of regulation to put a better defender in. Young to me in terms of age how he projects to age and the additional assets hawks receive makes it a no brainer.
Trae Young plays defense?
Mindless is saying Young is better because of defense? Trae is a turnstile out there.
Check the Facts. Doncic is younger than Trae.
Both nice players. I’d always choose the one with the better body. Luka will likely be more durable over time. I think his better comp is Joe Johnson from his tenure with the Hawks. Trae is more fun but I suspect that Luka will win more.
It might be less hilarious if you had some facts straight. First, TY is older than Doncic (about 7 months). Second, TY graded out as the worst defender in the NBA last year. His DRPM rank last year was 514, out of 514. Rookie perimeter players are notoriously bad on defense, but TY’s numbers are outlier bad (historically) even against that baseline. Doncic’s were about baseline.
And as I stated earlier, he played with a gash in the back of his head and still came out and played. He was clearly concussed or at the very least groggy. And he still pulled up and nailed a big three late. Just doesn’t have a lot of support on his team.
Doncic is probably the better player, but Young will be the bigger star. Foreign players do help branch out the NBA and bring in more fans, but Americans tend to gravitate toward American players. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.
The best comparison I can think of is Shaq and Yao Ming. They were about equal in skill set, Shaq had more raw power, but Yao was arguably the better player. Yao brought in a bunch of Chinese fans, but Shaq WAS the NBA for about an 8-10 year period.
I can understand the argument for either. They’re both tremendous talents, and it probably comes down to personal preference in skills. I’d personally rather have Young, though. If I’m building a franchise from scratch, I want to push the tempo, have my players pass the ball, and shoot the 3. I want to win, but I also want it to be a very fun brand of basketball from a marketing standpoint. I think Young would be a better fit for what I’d want to do, which is sorta part of the equation. Young is probably also the headier player, with better court vision. Luka is ultra-talented, but in the way where he beats you with sheer will, size and athleticism.