Dallas Mavericks game preview: Luka Doncic vs. Trae Young, Chapter 1

The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks will have their first matchup of the season. Each team is featuring a highly touted rookie coming off of a great game, but which will show up tonight?

One of the great story lines of the NBA this year is a great rookie class. More specifically, the Dallas Mavericks traded the fifth overall pick and next year’s first round pick to get Luka Doncic. The Hawks were willing to do the trade as long as they got their man in Trae Young.

Trae Young was a standout star in the NCAA for the Oklahoma Sooners. Young was able to lead the NCAA in scoring and assists last year, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since assists became an official statistic. Although the Sooners did not do great as a team, it was by no fault of Young.

Luka Doncic, on the other hand, did not play in the NCAA. Instead, Doncic played professional ball overseas for many years before making his way to the NBA. We all know the endless achievements of Luka from his MVP season at age 18 to his Final Four MVP in the Spanish League tournament.

The story line of these two players meeting was destined to be a big one, which is why two lottery teams from last year will be playing on ESPN tonight. People aren’t here to see Dennis Smith Jr. or DeAndre Jordan. They aren’t watching for John Collins, Taurean Prince or Kent Bazemore. This is a nationally televised game to see a pair of rookies.

So far, the stats look pretty good for both of them. Young is averaging 23 points, 8.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three. Luka, on the other hand, is averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He is shooting 43% from the field and 32% from three.

Young is coming off the best game of his season so far, dropping 35 points and 11 assists. Luka has had two good games in a row but neither quite to that level. He has been arguably the best player on the roster for Dallas, though.

The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks tip-off tonight at 6:00 central time. The game will be televised on ESPN from Atlanta. Follow us at @TheSmokingCuban for game updates and a recap after the final buzzer.