Not bad getting Trae

Heading into the 2018-19 Season of the National Basketball Association, one of the more talked-about player exchanges was that between the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks involving rookies Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
In a draft night exchange, the Mavericks, who had the number five pick, moved to trade for Doncic, who was selected third by the Hawks.
In return they offered Young, the fifth pick, and a first-round pick in 2019, which Atlanta eventually accepted.
The move by the Hawks was met by reservations by some who felt they did wrong as they were letting go of a gem of a talent in Doncic of Slovenia, a seasoned player despite his young age who honed his impressive skill set in the European league, for a guy like Young, while had promise still needed to prove himself after playing just one year of collegiate ball at the University of Oklahoma.
Doncic did not waste much time introducing himself to the entire NBA-dom, creating instant impact in Dallas to will his way as the next face of the franchise, taking over from Mavs and NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki.
He has been a steady 20-plus scorer to go along with seven-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, enough to earn him All-Star considerations. Doncic has been great that even early in the season the Rookie of the Year award was already being given to him by many.
Heck, Doncic has been good that the Dallas management had decided to rethink its tack for the future, trading away supposed cornerstones in Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes for players it felt could complement the talent and play alongside the Slovenian sensation.
On the other hand, Young had it “slow.” While his numbers of 16.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds before the All-Star break were not bad at all, still there were people viewing his acquisition by the Hawks as a “mistake” in relation to the bigger noise that Doncic was creating out West.
Of late, however, Young, 20, has been playing ball superbly, repaying the trust that Atlanta has shown him when it got him in the trade.
Post-All Star Game, the Hawks guard has raised his numbers across the board, averaging 25.3 points since along with 8.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
Apart from the improved stats, he has been a true floor leader for the Hawks and clutch down the stretch, making big plays after big plays, the latest of which was his game-winning floater with a tenth of second left last Monday to bury the Philadelphia 76ers, 129-127.
His massive step-up as the regular season winds up has pushed him to make a stronger claim for rookie of the year.
Whether he would win ROY, this space is not really sure, as Doncic is still steady and admittedly has built much real estate on it.
But Young has proven he could deliver more than what many thought he is capable of and if you are a Hawks fan you have to be excited and happy for that.
Doncic could well have an All-Star career the rest of the way but if Young sustains this level of play and even improves on it, he, too, could have his share of All-Star appearances. Add to that another solid player from the first-round pick it got in the trade and I am sure Atlanta would not regret the deal it made with Dallas on draft night.
 
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
msmurillo@bworldonline.com