The two most beautiful people are on opposite sides of the world! 18 Geminis! Two extremes?

Turning the time back to 2018, this year can be called a truly hot draft year.

In the rookie list, although there are not many monster-level talents that have reserved top stars in advance, the overall quality is balanced enough; and more importantly, there are two young newcomers whose fate is bound and even directly affects the league pattern:

Doncic and Trae Young.

One emerged from Europe, and the other came to national attention from the NCAA.

Starting from their rookie season, they had explosive performances in the Mavericks and Hawks respectively. Within a few years, they led the team to the conference finals. Doncic could even go one step further and stand on the finals stage.

At that time, all fans believed that the two stars would fight to the death in the next ten years.

But now in the eighth year of their careers, the fate of the two has been completely separated.

One is still continuing to surge, while the other has begun to turn around and sink.

For Doncic, he has never stepped back from the day he entered the NBA.

No MVP? No championship? But it did not prevent him from entering the ceiling echelon of the top ball-handling core; starting from the second season, Doncic continuously entered the MVP discussion; in the third season, he single-handedly overturned the 64-win Suns and carried the Mavericks into the Western Conference Finals. In the playoffs, he averaged 31.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

What is even more terrifying is the 2023-24 season:

33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists, winning the first scoring title in his career. The Mavericks also landed in the finals again after 13 years.

Although he lost in the end, the team building for Doncic was simple enough. As long as he is given someone who can run, defend, and cover, he can lead the team to the end. But such potential is not recognized by the Lone Ranger.

In the middle of last season, the Mavericks sent away Doncic and the Lakers took over. From an outside perspective, this was a huge shock transaction. But the real shock came from the Lakers.

This 26-year-old young point guard has been a top output as soon as he joined the team:

This season, he has 34.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9 assists, keeping the Lakers in the championship ranks. Even if James does not return to the team, he can still carry the team forward. Looking back now, the three-year 165 million contract extension offered by the Lakers is absolutely worth it.

Looking at Trae Young, we must admit that his peak came earlier than Doncic. In the third year of his career, he had a big explosion in the playoffs:

28.8 points and 9.5 assists. He defeated the Knicks and 76ers one after another and entered the Eastern Conference finals.

In Madison Square Garden, the most picky home court in the league, he quarreled with Spike Lee and was blasted by New York fans, but he became more and more excited about playing.

At that time, many people believed that he would be the most potential shooting genius after Curry, and the Hawks' future would be revived because of him.

But unfortunately, that year was the dividing line of Trae Young's career.

After that, Trae Young could only stay where he was, constantly being figured out and targeted. For four consecutive years, the Hawks repeatedly wandered into the play-offs; even though his statistics are still gorgeous, fans and coaches seem to be increasingly able to understand:

Defensive flaws, short stature The rebound was obvious, the ball rights were too high, teammates began to refuse to buy it, and the team found it difficult to achieve results;

In the 2024-25 season, these problems began to be collectively exposed, and in this season, the most embarrassing scene occurred:

Trae Young left the game early due to injury, but the Hawks played better and better.

The team's record has rushed into the safe zone of the playoffs, and Jaylen Johnson has also begun to perform as a star.

Now the Hawks are beginning to face a glaring question:

Will the Hawks be stronger without Trae Young?

From here on, the direction of this pair of bright twins seems to have begun to change:

One is the top core who is climbing to the top of the NBA, while the other is still proving his value to the team.

Looking back now, the two unparalleled heroes of the year are now in the sky and on the earth.

Seven years ago, Doncic and Trae Young were bound together due to a swap deal. The two were also regarded as the twin stars of the NBA for the next ten years; but now, the two stories are clear enough:

One stands in the center of the Lakers' home court and is about to take over the team's new throne; while the other can only watch the game on the Hawks bench, and then faces outside doubts.

After Doncic stands on the top of the mountain and is ready to welcome the new era, if Trae Young continues to be unable to prove himself, he is likely to become a discarded bargaining chip for the Eagles to strengthen.