NBA Five on Five: Comparing The Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons Projected Starting Lineups

What a matchup of two elite players. Young and Cunningham are two of the best in the league and are hoping to lead their respective teams on deep playoff runs this season.

Young is one of the best point guards in the NBA and 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. It was a different kind of season for Young, as he took more of a backseat and tried to have a different approach with his teammates. It largely worked, and now Young is going to have the most talented team around him that he has ever had. I expect an All-NBA type of season.

Cunningham took the leap that many Pistons fans were hoping he would take last season, making an All-NBA team and averaging 26.1 PPG, 9.1 APG, and 6.1 RPG on 47/36/84 shooting splits. What is going to be in store for him this season? He is one of the games most talented scorers and playmakers, giving this team tha franchise player they have been longing for.

Advantage: Detroit

Shooting Guard: Dyson Daniels vs Jaden Ivey

Daniels averaged 14.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.4 APG last season while shooting 49.3% from the field and 34% from three. He grew as a playmaker and made strides in a lot of different areas on offense. While there is still a way to go for Daniels on that end, he is a better all-around player than White, even though White is the better scorer and offensive player. Daniels won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He is one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA and should only get better, even if he does not repeat the gaudy statistics he did last year.

Ivey was having a great season before suffering an injury that ended it prematurely. When Detroit drafted him, they were hoping that he would become a legitimate scoring threat alongside Cunningham and he appeared to be taking that step before his injury. Ivey was averaging 17.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 4.1 RPG on 46/41/73 shooting splits. Will he be picking up where he left off last season or will it take him some time to get back to form? With the season Daniels had, he gets the edge in this matchup, though Ivey could close the gap.

Small Forward: Zaccharie Risacher vs Ausar Thompson

Risacher had a solid rookie season, finishing second in rookie of the year voting and really coming on strong in the second half of the season. His shooting numbers really improved (46% from the field and 36% from three), and Risacher really had a solid tournament in this year's EuroBasket, showing that he might be ready for a breakout season.

Thompson is one of the best defenders in the NBA already and is still growin on offense. His defense gives him the edge over Risacher, but to make the climb up to another tier, he is going to have to take a step on that end of the court. Thompson only shot 22.4% from three last season, but he did miss a good chunk of the beginning of the season with an injury .

Advantage: Detroit

Power Forward: Jalen Johnson vs Tobias Harris

If Johnson can stay healthy, this could be the year that he makes the All-Star team and possibly All-NBA. 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. Johnson still has improvements to make and has to stay healthy, but the upside for him is through the roof.

Harris has been maligned over the years, but he turned in a really solid season for the Pistons last year. He averaged 13.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG on 48% shooting from the field and 35% from three. He does not have the high-ceiling of Johnson, but he can have a 25-30 point game on any given night.

Advantage: Atlanta

Centers: Kristaps Porzingis/Onyeka Okongwu vs Jalen Duren

The Hawks have two quality options to start at center for them and that is why they are going to be one of the East's best teams.

Porzingis and Okongwu are two different players, but both are very good. Porzingis gives the Hawks an elite threat from three while also giving them strong interior defense. Okongwu is a really strong defender, just not a shot blocker, and a terrific pick-and-roll partner with Young. The defense for the Hawks was really strong when Okongwu and Johnson played together last season.

Duren has had a nice start to his career, but will he be able to take the next step. He is a solid paint scorer and a monster on the boards, but he is not a threat to stretch the floor. Not only that, Duren is not a strong defender. He is one of the keys to a big season, but he is not on the level of either of the Hawks centers so far.

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