Exploring the six biggest surprises and disappointments roughly a month into the 2019-20 NBA season
The 2019-20 NBA season is officially underway and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s been a little under a month of players taking the league by storm or leaving us completely underwhelmed. Some have yet to match expectations and some have wholeheartedly blown them out of the water.
The Golden State Warriors have fallen back to Earth for the first time since 2015 leaving the road to the NBA Finals wide open. This past summer some teams have made moves to capitalize on the new-look NBA, and some have appeared to have made moves that still require work in order for success.
Luka Doncic and Trae Young – Sophomore stardom
Sophomore Slump? Never heard of it. These two prospects turned superstars were traded for each other on draft night. Many debated over who won the trade between the Atlanta Hawks receiving Trae young or the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic. The obvious answer is both teams won.
Luke and Trae in just their second years in the league have already become arguably top 15-20 players in the NBA. Both All-Rookie First Team members had impressive first seasons, to say the least, but nobody expected these two to break out to the caliber that they did. Trae Young’s proving that he is a perfect fit for the Hawks system and a concrete number 1 option averaging 27 points, eight assists, and four rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from downtown.
Young’s individual performance masks out the Hawks still-developing young core, but when John Collins returns from suspension, The Hawks might have what it takes to make the push for the playoffs behind Trae Young. As for Luka and the Mavs, the more difficult western conference doesn’t seem to be a problem. Doncic is currently dominating dropping 29, 10, and nine; just under a triple-double.
The stats alone are unbelievable for a second-year player, but Doncic has also proved to be a serviceable leader. The Mavericks currently hold the 5th seed in the West with a solid 8-5 record so far.
If Luka Doncic is able to keep up this performance all year, along with Kristaps Porzingis providing the perfect one-two punch on both ends of the court, it wouldn’t be outlandish to say that the 20-year-old Slovenian could make a run for MVP. What’s safe to say is the Mavericks and Hawks seemed to have both struck gold in terms of young talent.