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The Atlanta Hawks are well out of the playoff race this season. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in a bright future for the team. The first that comes to mind is rookie sensation Trae Young.
For a piece published Tuesday afternoon, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic asked Young about the Rookie of the Year race, which many are already convinced Dallas Mavericks youngster Luka Doncic will win.
But Young says the race isn't over yet.
He also talked about the Rookie of the Year race with Luka Doncic, the player he’ll forever be linked to because of the draft-night trade between Atlanta and Dallas. Young smiled when asked about the consensus from the media that the race is already over and the award is essentially waiting for Doncic. Young proceeded to have his best game of the season on the same night Doncic finished with a triple-double against Paul’s former team, the Clippers.
“I don’t think the race is over,” Young said. “At the same time, that’s not really my main focus. But I don’t think the Rookie of the Year race is over just yet. You see guys come out all of the time super hot and get all of the hype and deservedly so. Luka has had a terrific year so far. But there’s been multiple times where there’s been co-winners, or it’s been flipped at the end just like last year with Donovan (Mitchell) and Ben (Simmons).”
The trade Kirschner mentions was between Dallas and Atlanta on the night of the draft. In the agreement, the Hawks selected Doncic with the third overall pick. They then sent him to Dallas in exchange for Young (chosen fifth overall) and a future first-round pick.
Young and Doncic, now two of the game's top rookies, will forever be linked by that trade. And it doesn't help Young's case that Doncic has outperformed him to this point. The Mavericks shooting guard is averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 43.2%.
But Young isn't too far behind. The 20-year-old is shooting 41.0% and averaging 17.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
It would take a hot streak from Young and a cold finish by Doncic for the former to become the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
But Young is right – as Yogi Berra famously once said, it ain't over till it's over.
