Sensational sophomores Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young have a rivalry going on, but they still hold each other in high regard. The 2019 Rookie of the Year runner-up displayed his admiration for the Slovenian sensation on Sunday after Doncic recorded his second straight triple-double of the season in the Mavs’ 131-11 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Doncic followed up his 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists outing versus the Los Angeles Lakers with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists versus the Cavs. The feat makes him the only player in league history to achieve those numbers in consecutive games.
Young, on the other hand, has also been balling out at the start of the season averaging 26.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in four games before going down with an ankle injury. He was named the Eastern Conference Player in the NBA’s opening week after leading Atlanta to a 2-0 start.
Doncic and Young’s names will always be synonymous with one another after they were traded for each other in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The Mavs initially used their number five pick to draft Young before swapping picks with the Hawks, who drafted Doncic third overall.
Dallas also gave up a future first round pick to climb two spots in the draft order, as they eyed Doncic to become the face of the franchise in the coming years.
The bold move paid off for Dallas, as Doncic looked like a cut above the rest from his fellow rookies last year. Young eventually gained steam in the second half of the season and put himself in the running for the Rookie of The Year Award. Doncic, however, still claimed the distinction with Young coming in as a close second.