Trae Young Doesn’t Need to Be Luka Doncic to Win Rookie of the Year

[Sothron]

Doncic had a great game last night. Trae did not. I guess some people want to do a game by game comparison of these guys.

[macdaddy]

16 minutes ago, Sothron said:

Doncic had a great game last night. Trae did not. I guess some people want to do a game by game comparison of these guys.

I dont think many people expected Trae to be the better player this year.  He'll be fine though.  He's still controlling games but just can't always do it the whole game.    Still i'm surprised Luka is doing so well this fast.  Shows what little i know about the euro leagues.   

[AHF]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

I dont think many people expected Trae to be the better player this year.  He'll be fine though.  He's still controlling games but just can't always do it the whole game.    Still i'm surprised Luka is doing so well this fast.  Shows what little i know about the euro leagues.   

There was silly hate here on Doncic - especially after we traded him.  People claiming he was so slow he wouldn't be able to get his shot off, etc.  He looked like a phenom in Europe playing against much better than college level competition and is showing it early this season.  Success as a rookie shouldn't be much of a surprise. 

I don't know that he will sustain 20 ppg, 6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1 spg type numbers (think these are a bit inflated this early in the year after a big game and that .579% TS% looks inflated to me) but he should be very good for a 19 year old rookie.  He is roughly half a year younger than Trae so both of these guys seem a bit ahead of the normal curve for youngsters with significant playmaking responsibilities.  

 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

Still i'm surprised Luka is doing so well this fast.  Shows what little i know about the euro leagues.   

Well you shoulda known cuz he was “my boy” on realgm. But honestly im elated with Trae and our future. Doncic is no joke though and it’s shown. However this game to game comparison is just tiring. Trae is ours and we love him. That’s where it ends for me.

[kg01]

23 hours ago, benhillboy said:

I wouldn’t call a 10 rebound guy “horrible” on D but I did see a couple highlights where he didn’t look too engaged.  His low block average at his size and minutes was a red flag when looking at his line.   Still his FG, FT, and assist to turnover are exceptional for a rook.

But, because of the reasons you mention, he is indeed horrible on D.  In fact, one could argue the number of rebounds he gets is a sign that he's crashing to the basket instead of challenging shots.

Rebounds can be as misleading a stat as assists can be.

[Sothron]

40 minutes ago, kg01 said:

But, because of the reasons you mention, he is indeed horrible on D.  In fact, one could argue the number of rebounds he gets is a sign that he's crashing to the basket instead of challenging shots.

Rebounds can be as misleading a stat as assists can be.

Conversely, people get on big guys for not getting boards when they are doing their job in challenging shots and/or boxing out their guy which allows someone else to get the board. That's why I don't agree with people that call KAT lazy on defense. He isn't lazy. He just needs to be better coached when to challenge shots and when to stick to his assignment.

Lazy big guys don't leave their feet. It is an old coaching tip my dad taught me years ago. Watch which big guys are willing to get vertical or move their feet. You can work with a guy willing to move. Guys that aren't willing to do it are harder to coach.

[kg01]

38 minutes ago, Sothron said:

Conversely, people get on big guys for not getting boards when they are doing their job in challenging shots and/or boxing out their guy which allows someone else to get the board. That's why I don't agree with people that call KAT lazy on defense. He isn't lazy. He just needs to be better coached when to challenge shots and when to stick to his assignment.

Lazy big guys don't leave their feet. It is an old coaching tip my dad taught me years ago. Watch which big guys are willing to get vertical or move their feet. You can work with a guy willing to move. Guys that aren't willing to do it are harder to coach.

I hear you and I'm perfectly fine with categorizing Towns as having low defensive BBIQ (can't think of another way to say it) as opposed to "lazy".

What would you say about the questions about his 'heart'?  And, on a lighter note, have you guys sent all the 'Thank you' cards to the North Avenue Trade School for young Mr. Okogie yet?

[hazer]

What if I told you.....both will be good ?

[Sothron]

20 minutes ago, kg01 said:

I hear you and I'm perfectly fine with categorizing Towns as having low defensive BBIQ (can't think of another way to say it) as opposed to "lazy".

What would you say about the questions about his 'heart'?  And, on a lighter note, have you guys sent all the 'Thank you' cards to the North Avenue Trade School for young Mr. Okogie yet?

I don't question his heart. You don't have the package he has with his skill sets by being lazy or not having the heart to want to be the best player he can be. He absolutely needs to adjust his challenge shot mentality. If this was a NBA 2k game, his real life challenge shot meter would be close to 99. He leaves his feet too much. He's maybe the only guy I can think of in modern NBA big men that needs to actually NOT challenge so much. Stick to your assignment more.

[cam1218]

No matter what’s happens with the Trae vs Luka debate, it is ultimately Trae + draft pick vs Luka. We can’t really judge the swap until we see what else we get from it. I think both rookies have performed well this year, and both will continue to have ups and downs. Luka is also in a better situation for early success IMO. 

[kg01]

24 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I don't question his heart. You don't have the package he has with his skill sets by being lazy or not having the heart to want to be the best player he can be. He absolutely needs to adjust his challenge shot mentality. If this was a NBA 2k game, his real life challenge shot meter would be close to 99. He leaves his feet too much. He's maybe the only guy I can think of in modern NBA big men that needs to actually NOT challenge so much. Stick to your assignment more.

Everybody in the NBA works hard.  The great ones have a competitiveness/drive that sets them apart.  That's where it appears he's lacking.  Emphasis on "it appears".

I actually feel sorry for him because I can imagine he's dealing with a lot with all the Jimi-drama.  I'm hoping for a quick resolution.  IIUC, Criss can't be traded until 10/31 so if that's the deal they're going with, it'll happen in the next day or so.

Sadly, I do believe that once Jimi is gone they'll be a worse team and I think that paves the way for Thibs to be gone.

10 minutes ago, cam1218 said:

No matter what’s happens with the Trae vs Luka debate, it is ultimately Trae + draft pick vs Luka. We can’t really judge the swap until we see what else we get from it. I think both rookies have performed well this year, and both will continue to have ups and downs. Luka is also in a better situation for early success IMO. 

Good point to remember.  It's not just Doncic v Young.  It's Doncic v Young plus whatever we do with that pick.  The fact that they're anywhere near being close as players basically puts us in the 'lead' so to speak on that trade discussion.

[bleachkit]

1 hour ago, hazer said:

What if I told you.....both will be good ?

Not possible. Only diametrically opposed outcomes exist in my small minded world of biased homerism.

[bleachkit]

50 minutes ago, cam1218 said:

No matter what’s happens with the Trae vs Luka debate, it is ultimately Trae + draft pick vs Luka. We can’t really judge the swap until we see what else we get from it. I think both rookies have performed well this year, and both will continue to have ups and downs. Luka is also in a better situation for early success IMO. 

I really feel like Travis should have gotten the protection down to top 3. 

[AHF]

6 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

I really feel like Travis should have gotten the protection down to top 3. 

I felt like that too but it is all academic now.

Here is hoping Young becomes a star and the best player in the whole deal is the guy we take with the Dallas pick (because then we'd have at least 2 stars!)

[JayBirdHawk]

9 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

I really feel like Travis should have gotten the protection down to top 3. 

I was hopeful. 

[cam1218]

10 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

I really feel like Travis should have gotten the protection down to top 3. 

Me too, but at least it wasn’t something stupid like top 10 protected. The funny thing is, we should all be rooting for Doncic to succeed. The better be is the more likely it is we get that pick. Those who want him to fail because they want Trae to be better are hoping for a scenario that might hurt our rebuild. 

[terrell]

1 hour ago, cam1218 said:

No matter what’s happens with the Trae vs Luka debate, it is ultimately Trae + draft pick vs Luka. We can’t really judge the swap until we see what else we get from it. I think both rookies have performed well this year, and both will continue to have ups and downs. Luka is also in a better situation for early success IMO. 

[terrell]

19 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

I really feel like Travis should have gotten the protection down to top 3. 

It proves somebody(Owner/GM/or Coach) really liked Trae...

[macdaddy]

What's really amazing is that we have two guys not even 21 years old in the league picked 3 and 5 that are averaging 20 points each with tons of assists in their first 2 weeks in the NBA.   That's crazy.   And honestly I think Trae reset the bar on himself with that Cleveland game.   No one is patient with him anymore.  Suddenly he's expected to be an all star already.   Which is great.   

The other great thing for Hawks fans is we have 3 rookies that are playing decent minutes and looking really good so far.   When have we ever had one?  I know it's a rebuilding year but Heurter especially is looking like he'll be getting a lot minutes in the future.   

[EazyRoc]

Doncic will come back down to Earth. He’s playing lights out right now. MUCH better in the PnR than I thought he’d be. Then again, I’ve only seen him play against poor defenders. Teams will adjust. You can’t play against him like he’s just some rookie. That’s saying a lot for a 19 year old. I have to admit he looks as if he has that “it” factor like Trae now that I have seen him though. I just want to see how he counters when teams start to adjust. 1 trick won’t get you far in the NBA.