Luka Doncic chosen over Zion Williamson, Trae and Ja in survey of NBA's brightest talents

The NBA recently conducted a survey to find out who the league's preferred 'brightest talent' was between Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson and Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant. Conducted between a panel of 20 NBA coaches, scouts and executives, Luka Doncic received the majority of votes. Doncic received 17 first-place votes. 

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Luka Doncic chosen as top among NBA's brightest talents

The 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, as per reports, was the safest choice one could make from the available players. While Luka Doncic got 17 first-place votes, Zion Williamson got one first-place vote and 11 second-place votes. Doncic, who turned 21 this year, had proved himself before starting his NBA career last season. The Mavericks star led Real Madrid to their 2018 EuroLeague title and was also named the EuroLeague MVP. 

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He won the NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) award in 2019, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists. Before the NBA 2019-20 season was suspended, Luka Doncic was averaging a near triple-double with 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He has broken multiple records throughout his two years in the NBA while being compared to players like Steph Curry. One Eastern Conference executive stated that while Luka Doncic is 'very good', he does not know if he can get better than how he plays right now. 

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Is Zion Williamson one of the NBA's brightest talents?

Zion Williamson, who was the most anticipated NBA rookie since LeBron James, ended up missing most of this season due to his injury. Having finally made his debut in January, Williamson was averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. This season's debate was between Ja Morant and Williamson winning the ROTY award. Morant, who was averaging 17.6 points this season, is more likely to win this year as Zion Williamson missed most of the season. The aforementioned Eastern Conference executive also mentioned Morant, who he thinks can get better with his shooting. 

Trae Young is the only player out of the four choices without a second-place vote. Most of the votes he received were fourth-place tallies. Trae Young was averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists per game before the season was suspended. His shooting has also improved from 32.4 percent to 36.1 percent. As per reports, Young's poor defensive skills cancel out his offensive contributions for the Hawks. Currently, Young is last on ESPN's plus-minus (-3.12) table. 

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