Five on Five: Comparing the Hawks' and Jazz's Starting Lineups

With all due respect to Collier, this isn't particularly close. Trae Young is coming off another All-Star season in which he averaged 24.2 PPG, 11.6 APG, and 3.1 RPG, shooting 41% from the field and 34% from three. He led another productive Hawks offense and relied mostly on his passing due to struggling with his efficiency as a scorer. Even so, he's still practically an offense unto himself due to his gravity as a playmaker.

Collier clearly has something as a passer - he averaged 6.3 assists last season and had flashes of great playmaking. He also found success when driving to the basket, shooting 66% at the rim (71st percentile among all guards). However, he only shot 24.9% from deep on limited volume and he led the NBA in turnover percentage last season. Add that to the fact that he's still a defensive liability and it's clear that Collier has some serious work to do before he can be considered in Young's tier.

Advantage: Atlanta

Shooting Guard: Dyson Daniels vs Keyonte George

Dyson Daniels is, full-stop, one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. There's a case that he is the best, but he needs to show it in the playoffs before he can earn that moniker. Even so, the reigning NBA steals leader had a great two-way season for the Hawks, averaging a career-high 14.1 points on a career-best 54.5 TS%. He's not the most dynamic offensive player, but he does enough to keep himself on the court so that he can exert his defensive advantage on opposing stars. He routinely takes the toughest perimeter assignment and his combination of size, timing and agility is matched by very few players.

Conversely, Keyonte George's path to success is predicated on his offense. Even though his PPG and APG improved to 16.8 points per game and 5.6 assists per game, he still shot 39.1% from the field in both seasons and struggled to show progress on defense. There's still time for George to turn it around, but he isn't a consistent contributor just yet.

Advantage: Atlanta

Small Forward: Zaccharie Risacher vs Ace Bailey

Over the second half of the season, Risacher thrived in his role by blossoming into a good catch-and-shoot three-point shooter who had some nice moments on defense due to his foot speed. His shooting numbers really improved (46% from the field and 36% from three) over the course of the season. He doesn't have a ton of refinement yet to his game, but there were flashes of a developing handle and he had a great summer appearance in the EuroBasket tournament.

At his best, Bailey will likely occupy a similar role with possibly more juice as a three-level scorer. The rookie wing takes a lot of midrange shots and shot a respectable 34% from deep on volume last season for Rutgers. He should immediately step in as a solid help-side defender and athletic scorer, but he'll need time to develop.

Advantage: Atlanta

Power Forward: Jalen Johnson vs Lauri Markkanen

All signs are poised for Johnson to take a big leap in 2025. He is a phenomenal talent who can handle the ball, rebound at an elite level and even create some of his own offense. He was averaging 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG while shooting 50% from the field and 31% from three last season before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. He's consistently struggled to stay healthy, but there's no doubt he's one of the best young forwards in the NBA.

At Markkanen's best, this would be more of a conversation. He's a season removed from being one of the most valuable trade assets in the NBA because of his unique combination of shooting (39.9% on eight attempts from deep in 2023-24) and size (8.2 rebounds per game). He was an All-Star level player, putting up 23 points per game as the centerpiece for the Jazz. However, he struggled to stay on the court in 2024-25 and his numbers took a sharp decline. It'll be up to Markkanen to show his 2023-24 season wasn't a complete fluke, but Johnson is still the more talented player at his best due to what he brings as a playmaker.

Advantage: Atlanta

Center: Kristaps Porzingis/Onyeka Okongwu vs Walker Kessler

When comparing the two seven-footers, it's hard to argue against Porzingis being the more complete player. He's coming off a season where he averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 41.2% from deep on high volume. He's also a complimentary playmaker, averaging around two assists a game in the past two seasons.

Kessler is a good starting center - he's a great rebounder and solid rim protector. He led the NBA in offensive rebounds per game last year and still recorded 2.4 blocks as one of the few reliable veterans on the Jazz. However, he has a pretty limited offensive game and requires a point guard to set him up in order to be useful on offense.

Advantage: Atlanta

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