Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young & Luka Doncic Should Be Co-Rookies of the Year

Conclusion

Here’s the thing: This is an amazing rookie class that is stacked with talent from top to bottom.

The depth of this class, as well as its high-end talent, has been mesmerizing to watch and seemingly all of the lottery picks have produced some stunning highlights.

However, there have only been three rookies that have scored 35 or more points in a game this season. Jaren Jackson Jr. did it once in November, Doncic has achieved the feat twice and Trae Young doubles up Doncic with four such occurrences – three of which occurred in 2019.

One of those games was the highest-scoring game of the season for any rookie: A memorable 49-point masterclass from Trae in the quadruple-overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls. Those 49 points represented the highest total from a rookie since Brandon Jennings in 2009.

There is no question that Luka Doncic’s production this year is astonishing – especially considering he started the year at the tender age of 19. Doncic will clearly be an amazing player for the entirety of his career, and it has been a joy to watch his stepback triples and wild highlights all season long.

But that’s the thing, the season didn’t end in December. Since the new year began, Trae Young has been producing similar highlights on a night-to-night basis, but for some reason, Rookie of the Year is already decided according to many outlets. Something doesn’t add up.

Both players are amazing, and the record books need to indicate that both Luka Doncic and Trae Young were the best of their rookie class.

For that reason, Trae Young and Luka Doncic should be named Co-Rookies of the Year this season.