On the night of 2018 NBA Draft, Atlanta Hawks decided to trade down, sending their No.3 pick to Dallas Mavericks and allowing them to draft Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic. After Doncic started tearing up the league in his rookie season, many people started questioning Hawks’ decision especially since the player they drafted instead, Oklahoma’s Trae Young, is struggling to be consistently productive in the pros.
Young recently made an appearance on ESPN‘s The Jump and decided to address the almost unanimous opinion that Mavericks got the better part of the deal in this trade saying. According to the 20-year-old, the trade worked out for both teams.
“Obviously I hear everything that goes on. You can’t miss it,” – said Young. “Luka’s having a really good year so far. And for me, all I do is try to focus on myself and my team. I know it’s easy to say, but I’m really dedicated to working extremely hard every day for my teammates and things like that.”
“And I think at the end of the day it worked out for both teams” – he added.
Even though Luka Doncic is playing sensational basketball this season and might even be an All-Star in his rookie year, Trae Young is convinced he’ll be a better player in the future.
“In my eyes, it’s not a question — it’s going to be me,” – Young responded when being asked who will be a better basketball player in five to 10 years. “But that’s just the competitive nature in my blood, and I think that’s the no-brainer with me.”
Although he entered the league with a reputation of being a sharpshooter and a gifted passer, Trae Young struggled for the better part of the season. His three-point shot is especially alarming since he is currently shooting just 29.0 percent behind the arc. Young played a total of 49 games with the Hawks this season and is averaging 16.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.
