Trae Young gets real on endless Luka Doncic comparisons
Dec 27, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Trae Young and Luka Doncic will forever be linked by the 2018 NBA Draft trade that swapped one for the other.
Five years into their respective careers, the juxtaposition has hurt the Atlanta Hawks point guard more than his Dallas Mavericks counterpart.
During Young’s recent appearance on “The Draymond Green Show” this past week, the Oklahoma product was asked about his take on the narrative being in favor of Doncic.
“I don’t even stress over it no more,” Young told Green. “I know the real ones get it. I feel like, for me, once I win a championship, it will even open up more eyes to what I’ve really done. Especially to some of my peers who I’m compared with.”
"It's not that far off… We kinda do the same things."@thetraeyoung talks being compared to Luka 👀
Full episode exclusively in the B/R app @TheVolumeSports https://t.co/ShYdlcgLKz pic.twitter.com/flREEcNnTT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 15, 2023
Despite the comparisons, Young has nothing but love for Doncic. The Hawks star also ended his response by stating that the gap between the two isn’t as large as people are making it out to be.
“To be honest with you, I have no hate towards nobody, especially Luka. We talk all the time. We got a lot of love for each other. A lot of respect for each other. … I feel like eventually, people are going to understand what it is and realize that it’s not far off. We kind of do the same things.”
It’s hard to argue against Doncic being the better player over Young through the half-decade that they’ve been in the league.
Some of the raw stats might not be far off, but the general consensus points toward the Mavs star. Doncic is a better rebounder and scores at a much more efficient rate than Young. The biggest difference is on the defensive end. While Doncic isn’t a lockdown defender, his size alone puts him at a huge advantage over Young on that side of the floor.
There’s a reason Doncic already has four All-NBA 1st-Team selections compared to Young’s lone 3rd-Team nod back in the 2021-22 campaign.
But at the same time, Young has also had a stellar career by his own merits. The Hawks guard has averaged 25.5 points and 9.3 assists per game for his career, yielding him two All-Star Game appearances since he entered the league.
In terms of playoff success, Young and Doncic are pretty much equals after having led their respective teams to the conference finals.
The jury is still out on whether Young or Doncic ends up with a better career when it’s all said and done.