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Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young struggled at the beginning of the season because of the Luka Doncic comparisons, Young's father, Ray Young, told Paolo Uggetti of the Ringer.
Young and Doncic were traded for each other on draft night. Luka started off the season very well for the Dallas Mavericks and everyone started comparing him and Young non-stop.
Ray Young says his son took those comparisons and criticisms too seriously and it affected the way he was playing for the Hawks.
As Young struggled, Doncic took the league by storm. Young couldn’t avoid the criticism. He would call his dad, Ray Young, and go through a laundry list of concerns. “Why are people saying this? Why are they tweeting that?” he’d ask.
“One of the big reasons that he struggled is because of [the Doncic comparisons],” Ray says. “He wanted to prove so many people wrong, prove to the world that he is an NBA player, that he can play. He watches all the TV shows. He reads social media, he does all this stuff. It was only fair for him to feel that way.”
Whatever Trae did to get over those comparisons has worked, as the Hawks' floor general has been playing stellar basketball since December.
In 77 games this season for the Hawks, Young is averaging 18.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He's shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Young has recorded 28 double-doubles and one triple-double. He's fourth in the NBA in assists per game.