Getty
The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks go against each other tonight it what usually wouldn’t be must-see television.
Tonight’s game is different as it’s the first time we get to see Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young go against Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic.
Both of these players were highly coveted coming out of the draft so it makes sense that tonight’s meeting between these two is a nationally televised game.
Hawks rookie Trae Young is coming off a spectacular performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers finishing with 35 points, 11 assists and the road win. There were a lot of questions about Young coming in the NBA but he has silenced those critics, through three games at least.
While Trae Young made a name for himself at Oklahoma, opposing rookie Luka Doncic made his name overseas by leading Real Madrid to the Euroleague title and being touted as a potential number one overall pick.
#NBARooks @TheTraeYoung & @Luka7Doncic headline tonight’s early action… as the @ATLHawks host the @DallasMavs!
🏀: #TrueToAtlanta x #MFFL
⏰: 7:00pm/et 📺: @ESPN
These two rookies will be linked to each other in the future as they were traded for each other during the past NBA draft. This trade may prove to be franchise changing for each team but with only three games into the freshman season for each player, it’s probably too early to tell what the future holds.
Like the Hawks, the Mavericks aren’t expected to make too much of an impact this season in the grand scheme of things. The most we can expect out of these two teams is to contend for a first-round playoff exit but that doesn’t stop them from being exciting to watch.
The Mavericks are off to a 2-1 start and a lot of that is due to the strong play of Luka Doncic early on. Doncic strongest performance of the season came at home during a 140-136 victory against Timberwolves where he put up 26 points including four 3-pointers. Doncic followed that up with a 115-109 victory against the Bulls with 19 points.
Doncic and Young will look to be cornerstones of their franchises for years to come and at 19 and 20-years-old respectively there is still a lot of growth to be had for each player.
The two face off tonight in Atlanta at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
READ NEXT: Amari Cooper Fantasy: Value of WR After Trade to Cowboys