Opening week in the NBA continues with a banger of a Friday game featuring two of the league's young stars.
It's Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks visiting Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. You can catch the game live tomorrow at 7:30 AM on One Sports.
If you love a dynamic playmaker and scorer who has a knack for making the most absurd plays, then Doncic is your guy. If you love a gutsy sharpshooter who has a knack for knocking down the most fearless shots, then Young is your guy. Heck, both guys are fun, extremely talented, and downright electrifying. You can love them both!
Doncic and Young are the faces of their respective franchises and they haven't disappointed since entering the league. Their NBA careers were woven together during the 2018 draft when the Hawks originally selected Doncic third overall before sending him to Dallas for the fifth pick that became Young, plus another pick that eventually turned into Cam Reddish.
Now in their fourth season, Doncic and Young are ready to take their games and their teams to the next level.
Doncic put up 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists last year. He shot 47.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from deep -- both personal bests. What's the next step for him? What can you add to an already loaded skillset?
A new era begins for the Mavericks after placing legendary point guard Jason Kidd at the helm. They finished 42-30 last season and ended up losing in a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. Dallas wants to maximize the steady growth of Doncic, and having a strong regular season and going deeper into the playoffs are imperative.
On the other hand, you could argue that the Hawks overachieved last season. Many suspected they were already on the rise, but reaching the Eastern Conference Finals gave a loud statement across the league. This season, they're out to cement themselves among the elite in the East and prove that last year was no fluke.
Young averaged 25.3 points on a 43.8 percent shooting clip, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.4 assists. The greatest leap for him was not so much with the numbers, but it was his overall confidence and swagger that lifted his team in the playoffs. Just when you thought you had the young Hawks rattled, they would come back and fight even harder, and that grit started with their point guard.
Both teams are raring to get their seasons going and all the attention will center around their best stars.
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