Luka Doncic & Trae Young were famously traded for one another on draft night in 2018, so there is always a comparison to be made and an element of rivalry between the two. But despite delivering very similar stats and success in their first five seasons in the NBA, Doncic is a class above Trae Young. HERE'S WHY!

• Individual Matchup

Luka Doncic has amassed 9,100 points in his NBA Career (27.6 per game), while Trae Young has amassed a close 8,990 points (25.5 per game). Young leads in assists with 3,285 total (9.3 per game) to Doncic's 2,631 (8.0 per game). Quite close when it comes to delivering what they should in terms of the basics of being a point guard/team leader, scoring and playmaking but after that, it's all Luka.

Doncic leads Trae Young in field goal percentage- 46.6-43.7. Triple Doubles- 56-3 (that 56 ranking him top 10 all-time). All-NBA selections- 4-1. All Star selections- 4-2. And in the broader sense of comparing these two, Doncic has left the NBA audience with their jaws on the floor on multiple occasions, while unless you are an Atlanta Hawks fan, there isn't a notable memory that sticks out from Trae Young.

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• Team Success

Both players have delivered almost the exact same success when it comes to the playoffs. Luka & Trae have led their teams to the playoffs on three occasions, with both leading their teams on runs to the Conference Finals (Young in 2021 & Doncic in 2022). However, Doncic has led the Mavericks to a 50 win season, while Trae Young has never managed more than 43 wins as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Dallas Mavericks have won 54.8% of their games when Luka Doncic has played since he joined the team, while the Hawks are below .500 with Trae Young having won just 45.6% of their games since he joined the team.

When you compare overall major stats & team playoff success, Luka & Trae are effectively side by side but when you dig a little deeper, Luka is the clear top dog. He has been named to the All-NBA First Team on four occasions, Trae has only made All-NBA Third Team once. Luka Doncic is seen to have almost overachieved without ever having a legit team around him, while Trae Young is viewed as something of a disruptor & someone who could lose command of his ship in Atlanta.

Doncic is considered one of the best players in the NBA, a future MVP and if he can become more durable and really commit to getting his body in the right shape to compete on both ends of the floor, he will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

Trae Young will always put up great scoring and assist numbers but he has shown himself as someone unwilling to adapt and learn to become the best version of himself and has been on something of downward spiral since leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. If he can't commit to the way Quin Snyder wants to play in Atlanta, the debate will be over.

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If it ever really began...

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Photo Credit- Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports