Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Luka Doncic and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young will be compared to one another for the entirety of their careers. That's what happens when two teams trade one player for another on draft night. Back in June, the Hawks selected Doncic with the third overall pick before sending him to the Mavs for the rights to Young and a future first-round pick.
Wednesday night featured the first matchup between the two young studs.
Both players showcased why their respective teams were so high on each of them, Luka Doncic had 24 points, six assists, and ten rebounds, while Trae Young also had 24 points to go along with ten assists and two steals. However, the Mavs not only took home a 114-107 win, but he also got the better of Young with a major rejection towards the end of the third quarter.
Luka swatted Trae 👀 (via @dallasmavs) pic.twitter.com/CeCP2Ew70T
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 13, 2018
Luka Doncic is the early favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, but despite some early struggles, Trae Young has put together some great games for the struggling Hawks. After the first 26 games of the season, Young holds averages of 15.4 points and 7.2 assists. Young may be shooting just 24.3 percent from three-point land on 5.5 attempts per game, but defenders have to guard him closely because of his ability to hit ridiculous long-distance shots and that opens up lanes for drives and assists.
There are no caveats in the assessment of Luka Doncic's game. The 19-year-old Euroleague MVP has been as good as advertised. He averages 17.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists a game. His step-back threes have buried a few teams, ball fakes, nutmeg passes, and 11-0 game-winning runs have all already appeared on his highlight reel this season.
The Mavs are in seventh place in the West with a 15-11 record and will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns tomorrow night.
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