"If Luka did that to the New York Knicks, they would be a god" - Gilbert Arenas calls out double standards against Trae Young
Luka Doncic and Trae Young are two of the NBAs biggest young stars and have had their careers intertwined from before their NBA debuts. Ever since their draft day trade got them to their respective homes in the NBA, the duo have been constantly compared to each other.
However, despite Luka and Trae both achieving great things in their relatively short NBA careers, there appears to be an apparent bias in the general public in favor of Luka Doncic. And this seems to have ticked off former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas.
"You know what's crazy about that New York series [in 2021]? ... If Luka did that to the New York Knicks, they would be a god. It is crazy how you went into the Garden and really f*cked them up."
—Gilbert Arenas
(via "From the Point by Trae Young")
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In 'From the Point by Trae Young', Arenas was in discussion with all things NBA with Trae Young when the Luka-Trae discussion came to the fore.
Arenas mentioned how Trae's performance in the Atlanta Hawks' run to the Eastern Conference in the 2021 NBA Playoffs was the stuff of legends and deserves more recognition.
The former Wizards star went on to call out the narrative favoring Luka, stating how such a performance by the Mavericks star would have been much widely celebrated.
"You know what's crazy about that New York Series [in 2021]? If Luka did that to the New York Knicks, they would be a god" stated Arenas regarding the Trae - Luka media narrative.
"It is crazy how you went to the Garden and really f***ed them up!" said Arenas about Trae Young's heroics against the Knicks
The Hawks star was on an absolute tear as his team bested the Knicks despite not having home-court advantage. The Madison Square Garden was enraged by the singular talent of Trae Young as the Hawks took the series 4-1.
Young taking on the "villain" role certainly would not have helped him establishing himself as a media darling. But there certainly is a case to be made for the Hawks star being treated a bit too harshly by the media as Arenas put it.
Doncic has widely been considered one of the faces of the league. But Trae, despite having gone further in the playoffs and being the two-time assist leader of the league, is often maligned for what he isn't good at - like his defence. Maybe Quin Snyder's steady offense and an improved showing by the Hawks this time out will get Trae the recognition he deserves?