Trae Young on being constantly compared to Doncic: 'I don't have time for that' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP - Scanpix Credit AFP - Scanpix

Ever since the Dallas Mavericks-Atlanta Hawks trade happened during the 2018 NBA Draft, Trae Young has been living with comparisons to Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic

MIN:35.52PTS:28.88 (53.44%)REB:9.16As:8.39ST:1.27BL:0.53TO:4.42GM:77ProfileNBA2021/2022

Young went to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick to tell his side of the story.

"I hate comparisons. I don't like comparing people," Young said during the podcast. "I know it's a part of everybody's nature, that's what we're going to do as basketball fans. I don't like getting into it a lot but I feel like in certain types of games if I was 6'8, I would be just like Luka."

"The pick and roll, the ability to find people, get to the line, get the floaters, shooting shots, I think our games are very similar in a way," the Hawks point guard explained. "He's just 6'7, 6'8. He's definitely one of those guys that you don't leave alone."

The Hawks picked Doncic with the 3rd overall pick while Young was selected with the 5th pick. The teams traded the two players between themselves that same night.

"Early on, I didn't know what it would be like, I didn't know how big the comparison would be," Young told about his initial feelings. "I didn't necessarily think it would until this day but on Draft night, you're just emotional, you're happy, you're going to a certain city."

"Obviously, everybody continued to talk," he continued. "I'm at the point now where I just play. I just play. It's so much recency bias with everything. I went to Eastern Conference Finals last year, everybody was saying 'Trae better than Luka, they won the trade', then they go this year."

"It's different. You go to the Finals next year, what are they going to say? That's my mentality," Young explained his view. "I just focus on my team and winning, everybody else can all the comparing and all of that, I don't have time for it."

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