ATLANTA (92.9 The Game) -- Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young said he finally has started to adjust to the pace of the NBA.
“For me, everything is starting to slow down a little bit more," Young said on "Dukes & Bell" on Thursday. "I just needed some games under my belt to get use to the travel, the back-to-backs. After that first little part of the season, where I was able to play a lot of games, it started to slow down for me.”
The truth is definitely in the stats. Of Young's five 30-point games this season, four have come in the past 30 days. And he's starting to set differentiate himself among rookies throughout history.
Young discussed what it’s like to compete against the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic -- whom he was traded for on draft night -- in the skills competition and for Rookie of the Year.
“No nerves. I wanted to win, but I knew me and him going up against each other in the skills competition, that it would be a big deal,” Young said. “He’s one of my good friends, and we will be going against each other for a long time.”
Young also was asked who has helped him adapt to life in the NBA.
“The veterans have been great for me," Young said. "Vince (Carter) has been a big piece helping me, more off the court with the hype coming in. He was the number five pick. Jeremy (Lin) on the court, and with the stress of handling being an NBA rookie, they’ve been great.”