‘My Vote Would Be for Him’: Donovan Mitchell Says Trae Young is the Rookie of the Year
If Donovan Mitchell had a Rookie of the Year vote, he’d cast it for Trae Young
Young’s late-season surge has added some drama to the race with Luka Doncic for the award.
The 20-year-old is averaging 25.3 points, 8.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from three-point land since the All-Star break.
Per The Deseret News:
“I talk about that all the time. I said, ‘Bro, you’re not going to get it.’ He’s playing on a tear, but I tell him, he deserves it if you look at what he’s done but sometimes that’s just the way it is,” Mitchell said of Young. “He’s playing outstanding, him and John Collins. I went to the game where he had 20 and 20 at Oklahoma so I’ve seen it.
“It takes a few to kind of get adjusted to it but he’s had a helluva season,” he added. “My vote would be for him for sure but it’s gonna be tough because Luka is still doing his thing, but Trae is having a helluva second half.”
Like Mitchell, Young got off to a slow start before finding his groove after All-Star break where he’s since averaged 25.3 points, 8.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Doncic has played more of a Simmons role with all-around statistics of 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
“I feel like Trae is definitely catching fire at the right time which is perfect timing,” Collins said. “It’s really exciting for me to be a part of something like that and to be grouped together with some of the next best young guys in the NBA, the best league in the world.”
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