Luka Doncic, without a doubt, has had one of the most historic rookie years of all time. Despite only playing 73 of the 82 games in a season, he has shown an unparalleled level of skill and display for a player so young. He can dribble to get off any shot he wants, he moves methodically and under-control like he is a 10 year veteran, and he is putting up better numbers than even LeBron James did in his Rookie season. On top of that, Luka has been named Western Conference Player of the Month every month this season and also has a song called "Halleluka" named after him (you can just listen to the song in the background while reading his case for ROY). Luka has also shown that he has a go to move at the end of games (his step back 3-pointer) which is not something you see from most young players until they have been playing in the league for a few years. You can see him show off his step back 3 against the Rockets multiple times in the clutch in this video. Simply put, Luke a Doncic has displayed all of the abilities and achieved all the levels necessary to be Rookie of the Year.
I mentioned he plays like a veteran, but he also puts up the numbers of a top 25 NBA player. This season he averaged 21 points per game, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 43% shooting from the floor. The shooting percentage is not great but his percentage is still better than Trae Young's (even after Young's hot February and March). Like I mentioned too, his Rookie numbers are better than LeBron's and it is not really even that close when you expand those numbers out to per 36.
Do not misunderstand me though. He is not better than LeBron James and it is highly unlikely he ever will be. I just want to show you how good his numbers really are. I also compared the numbers to Michael Jordan's rookie season just for fun. Michael Jordan is way better even with all the advanced numbers.
All season long Luka has been the lock to win ROY. The fact that Trae Young has even made it a discussion at this point is a testament to him and how great of a player he is and will be. Unfortunately, Luke Doncic is just flat out better. He does not have the range that Trae has but he has as good of a handle and is about as good of a playmaker as Trae Young. Additionally, if you look at all of their numbers comparatively this year, Luka is better in just about every single category. Trae Young was better than Luka for the month of February and part of March, but Luka has been either the best or second best rookie all season long and I believe he should be rewarded for that. Below are a bunch of stats I pulled from basketball-Reference that highlight Trae Young and Luka Doncic's rookie year numbers.
As you can see, Luka has a slight edge in most categories despite both players' shooting numbers being well below average. However, since both rookie are playing less than 30-32 minutes per game, I looked up both of their advanced and per 100 possession numbers as well. This is where Luka truly separates himself:
If you look at Luka's per 100, he is almost averaging a triple double and his VORP (which translates to 9.45 wins above replacement player) is head and shoulders above Trae Young's. In fact, Luka's VORP qualifies him to be just barely outside the top 20 in the league.
Once again, his numbers all put him in historic company. With his 8th triple double on Tuesday night against the Suns, Luka Doncic has the 3rd most triple doubles ever by a Rookie. Number one on that list is Oscar Robertson, number two is Ben Simmons, number four is Magic Johnson. Also on that list is: Michael Jordan, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, Blake Griffin, Lonzo Ball, and David Robinson. So clearly Luka is in historic company which not only speaks well for his case to be Rookie of the Year; it also shows that he may end up being a Hall of Famer if he keeps up this rate of play.
His numbers speak for themselves but his highlights are even better. Trae Young has had some big moments but Luka has had even bigger ones. His highlights include, but are not limited to: a game tying 3 versus Portland on the road, this crazy fadeaway to beat the shot clock, his game winner versus the Timberwolves, his show-out game against the Warriors, blocks LeBron twice, and a triple-double he put up in Dirk's final game in Dallas.
Simply put Luka has been increidble this year and has done things rarely seen by a rookie. While Trae is also great (and Collin Sexton deserves some recognition too), Luka has been the best rookie year and is your clear-cut Rookie of the Year winner.