Mavericks’ Luka Doncic wins NBA Rookie of the Year

The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic is now officially the NBA Rookie of the Year.

This is the culmination of the trade that happened on Draft Night 2018, when the Mavericks traded up to ensure they would be able to select Doncic. Knowing that their aging superstar Dirk Nowitzki likely only had one more season in him, Dallas had finally executed a draft night brilliantly to bring the city another generational talent to keep the fanbase engaged and excited about the direction of the team.

There was never a doubt going into this evening’s awards that the rookie sensation from Slovenia would take home the honors. Doncic was by far the most polished, NBA-ready rookie this season, taking home all five Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors this season. Atlanta’s Trae Young, by contrast, won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month four times. (The Knicks’ Kevin Knox beat Young in December.) Though Young certainly had an incredibly strong end to the season, Doncic played better overall from the start of the season and throughout.

If you, like me, haven’t watched Luka Doncic highlights recently, I’ll just leave this here.

Congrats, rook. Here’s to many more seasons of you doing all this and more right here with the Mavericks.