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Sunday 31 March 2019 19:38, UK
Dallas Mavericks' Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic is NBA analyst Bruce Bowen's choice for Rookie of the Year, despite a late push from Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
Doncic, who turned professional at the age of 16 for Real Madrid and led the team to the 2018 Euroleague title, has exceeded all expectations in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 21.1 points per game, recording seven triple-doubles and building an impressive portfolio of clutch shots, inventive assists and game-winning buckets.
While Doncic remains the favourite to scoop Rookie of the Year honours, the stellar play of Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young since the All-Star break has re-opened discussion over the destiny of the award.
Young's numbers since the All-Star are phenomenal. He has averaged 25.8 points and 9.0 assists per game, posted his first NBA triple-double and hit a last-second game-winner to deliver the Hawks a dramatic win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite Young's excellent recent form, former NBA champion Bowen believes Doncic remains ahead of the young Hawks guard in the Rookie of the Year race.
"My money is on Luka," he said. "What he does on the floor… oh my goodness! He just has this pace about him, as if he is a seven-year veteran. He is able to control the game and he is able to impact the game in a way where he doesn't always have to score."
"Trae Young is a phenomenal talent as well - a young up-and-coming talent. But if you are looking to build a team, you want to build that team around Luka right now [more so than around] a quick-shooting point guard like Trae Young.
"I know that [Young] is quick and he gets to his spots [on the floor] and things of that nature, but ultimately, when you want to win, you've got to have someone that can handle the pressure and the physicality of the game and that is exactly what Doncic can do."
The NBA TV Gametime panel echoed Bowen's sentiments.
"I don't think Trae is closer. I think it is Luka's award." said 14-year NBA veteran-turned-analyst Dahntay Jones. "He has been consistent over the course of the year. He has an advantage because he has played professional basketball for longer and in some senses he more of a newcomer rather than a rookie.
"Trae is making a case and he is coming on strong at the end of the year but he hasn't done enough to overtake Doncic, who has been the best player on his team all year long. He has an amazing future going forward [where he could become] one of the Top 10 players in our league.
Fellow Gametime analyst, and former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin, believes the NBA should reconsider their parameters for the Rookie of the Year award in order to create a level playing field for players playing professional basketball for the first time.
"You come into a situation and you're either a true rookie or you're not," Griffin said. "Trae Young is a true rookie. Luka Doncic was the best player on the best team in the best league outside the United States. He came into [the NBA] as an MVP of a professional league playing against grown men.
"This is not a 'rookie', this is a guy who had a huge head start. He should have been better [than Young] from the beginning because he has been playing against grown men. Why can't we have a 'Newcomer of the Year' as well as 'Rookie of the Year'?
"But if we just going with one award and call it 'Rookie of the Year', it's Luka."
