Luka Doncic vs. Trae Young: A rookie race to remember

Game Comparison

It’s often hard to compare players that play different positions but with Luka and Trae, they both function as the focal point of their respective offences.

Doncic is much bigger and stronger than Trae is and he uses his body well to get makeable shots up. He also has his go-to stepback jumper which is proving lethal at the NBA level. Most great players take years to develop their go-to scoring moves but Luka had his ready from day one. Trae Young is the much smaller and quicker of the two, being able to knife into the lane with ease. Trae’s game really opens up when his jumper is falling which, after that rough start to the year, is now a common occurrence.

He’s a threat to pull up from anywhere and already has Steph and Lillard-level range. While Luka is already a master at creating space and using his body to get off basically any shot he wants, Trae exploits any inch of space he is given and will not hesitate to let it fly from anywhere on the court.

Both guys are outstanding playmakers and passers but I think Young has a very slight edge in this area, given his Steve Nash-like vision and craftiness and also because he is more of a true point guard who looks to get his other guys involved. I’m not saying Luka doesn’t do that, he just has a different role on his team as the clear go-to scorer (especially since the Dennis Smith Jr. trade). But when it comes to sheer versatility, that’s where Luka really shines. Given his unreal skill level for his size, he can do almost anything on the court and because of his 6-foot-7, 220 pound frame, he can legitimately play four positions in today’s NBA.

Neither Young or Doncic are great defenders but given his size, smarts and natural defensive instincts, Luka does help his team out a little more on that end. However, both players have made names for themselves on the offensive side of the ball, which is an indictment of the direction the NBA seems to be heading in.

As I touched on earlier, Luka has dominated right out the gate and has remained just as if not more dominant since and Trae had that slow start to the year, shooting but has been trending in the right direction since and has just exploded after the all-star break, making this comparison and competition that much more nail-biting and downright entertaining to watch.