On draft night, the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks pulled off the trade that will define the 2018 NBA Draft. The Hawks selected Luca Doncic third, then swapped him for Trae Young (the fifth pick) and a protected 2019 first-rounder.
Both teams got their guy.
Early in the season, both young stars have lived up to the hype. Doncic is averaging 19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Young is averaging 15.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Surprisingly, he’s putting up big numbers despite cold shooting from downtown. He’s hitting only 25.4 percent of his three-point attempts. The Oklahoma product is averaging 29.3 minutes per game.
Related: NBA Betting Guide
Doncic has been the most impressive rookie in the league to date. It’s no surprise that the latest odds from BetDSI Sportsbook list the Mavericks swingman as the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Doncic leads the way at -130.
Young is also near the top, in third, at +300. His Hawks (5-17) have struggled mightily, but he has been a bright spot for Atlanta.
No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton is squeezed in between Doncic and Young. Ayton has the second-best odds of claiming the hardware at +150. This season, the 20-year-old Arizona product is averaging 16.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 blocks per game for the lowly Hawks.
Only two other players are on the board. Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. is listed at +2000, while the Clippers’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at +3000. After that, the field’s open.
Here are those players again, with their draft-night positioning:
Luka Doncic (No. 3)
Deandre Ayton (No. 1)
Trae Young (No. 5)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (No. 4)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11)
The only member of the top four missing from the list of early frontrunners is Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley III.
Below are the full odds from BetDSI.
Latest Odds
Luka Doncic -130
Deandre Ayton +150
Trae Young +300
Jaren Jackson Jr. +2000
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +3000
Field (Any Other Player) +500
