Luka Doncic For Trae Young: A Win Win

While attending the Atlanta Hawks Draft Party in 2018 two things really stood out for me. One was the heightened excitement and anxiety that the fans had for this draft. Second, the joy of picking Wonderboy Luka Doncic followed by confusion and a somber deflated vibe after trading him for Trae Young and a future first-round pick. The overall feeling was, “Well that’s our guy now. I hope he can do it in the NBA like he did in Oklahoma.“

Fast forward to 2019-2020

Fresh off their rookie campaigns Luka took home ROY honors and Trae was runner up. Both players came into this season on a mission setting records and putting themselves in rarified history with the most elite company imaginable. Trae’s efforts translated into Eastern Conference player of the week but few wins on the heels of a 25 game suspension for his best running mate John Collins. Luka, on the other hand, has had his veteran Mavericks squad winning and looking the part of a playoff team while garnering attention in the form of MVP consideration.

Think C. Webbs for Penny on PEDs

The trade has tied these two together for life. Pitting fans of either player against each other as a by-product. Mavs faithful love lamenting how they robbed the Hawks of a sure-fire Hall of Fame Legend in the making. While Hawks supporters are quick to point out that Trae Young holds the better per-game stats. 29.7 points and 9.2 assists are good for third and second in the league respectively. Luka’s 28.9 points and 8.7 assists put him sixth and third. Oh, and don’t forget the Mavs first-round pick that brought in Dukes Cam Reddish who came to life in January. He looks to have the highest upside as the most dominant two-way player of any Hawk on this young roster.

For two players in their sophomore seasons to be All-Star starters!? Producing at this rate is nothing short of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson -esque. The difference in wins is staggering. It’s difficult not to give the blame or the credit to each player respectively. However, the Mavericks have managed to get signature road wins over the Bucks and 76ers in games where Luka wasn’t able to suit up. Proving undoubtedly his veteran team with one of the NBA’s best coaches is clearly a better situation.

The sports media narratives drive our views of players and create margins of separation that are not supported by the numbers. For one player to be dismissed as having empty stats and the other to be in the MVP conversation is a prime example of this phenomenon. But in reality, the stats show that they are much closer. Media narratives drive our views of players and create wider margins between players. The story the stats tell show they are much closer than we’ve been led to believe.

Stop Chugging The Hatorade

What if I told you that you can appreciate one without hating the other? If you love NBA basketball you can actually like and dare I say celebrate them both. They are wildly entertaining extremely likable players. Both fit perfectly with their adopted cities. I have difficulty picturing Luka at State Farm Arena sitting in a barber chair getting a blurry fade and crispy line up with a couple racing stripes for good measure in Killer Mike’s Swag Shop while chopping it up with his good buddies 2Chainz and the Migos. Not to say they wouldn’t get along famously. But for Trae, it’s a natural fit.

It is similar for Luka taking the baton from Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest Euro Hooper in NBA history and becoming the new face of the franchise in Dallas. Can we stop the madness and bickering over these two talents who are friends I might add? Sometimes both teams can win the trade; landing their franchise cornerstone and perfect match in the process. Luka Doncic for Trae Young is one of those times.

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