Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young believes the Rookie of the Year race between him and the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic is “closer than some people think.”

Young didn't start the season well unlike Doncic. A lot of pundits have been using Young's slow start to the season as the main reason why they think Doncic should win the Rookie of the Year award.

The Hawks' floor general disagrees with that logic.

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“This is a season-long award,” Young told Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. “Early on, everybody was saying (Doncic) was Rookie of the Year and deservedly so. He was playing really well, and I wasn’t playing the best. I was still playing well. In the second half, it’s flipped.

“It’s starting to sound like it’s an early-season award. If that’s what people are doing their voting off of, it’s going to be tough. If you do a full-season look, it’s definitely closer than some people think.”

Trae Young has been on a tear for the Hawks ever since December. However, Luka Doncic is playing stellar as well. It's going to be really interesting to see who wins the award.

For the Hawks, Young is putting up 19.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Doncic, meanwhile, is averaging 21.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists nightly for the Mavs.