Utah Jazz vs Brooklyn Nets: Combined starting-5 including Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell
The Utah Jazz will visit the Brooklyn Nets in a must-win game for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
After dismantling the Golden State Warriors on the opening night of the season and beating their division rivals Boston Celtics on the road on Christmas Day, the Brooklyn Nets look like the team to beat in the East. With a 3-4 record on the season, the Nets will take on the Utah Jazz who have got off to a 4-2 start despite Donovan Mitchell struggling for consistency.
While Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are likely to star for the Nets, Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert have the pedigree to make the Utah Jazz a team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
On that note, let us have a look at a hypothetical combined starting-five of the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets.
Utah Jazz-Brooklyn Nets: Combined starting 5
The Nets are coming off a tough loss against Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards while the Utah Jazz defeated the LA Clippers at home on January 1st and blowing out the San Antonio Spurs on the road.
A win will be significant for each team while a loss could further exacerbate the Nets' plight. Steve Nash's team is struggling at the moment, but it is not panic time yet, as the season has only started.
So, without further ado, let us have a look at a combined starting five of the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets.
Point Guard - Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
The Brooklyn Nets, who paired Kyrie Irving with Kevin Durant, looked fabulous in the first few days of the 2020-21 NBA season.
Irving is having a good year, but his field goals attempts are currently higher than Durant's,which shouldn't ideally be the case.
Nevertheless, Irving is averaging 26.8 points per game and has made 48% of his field goals and 39% of his three-point shots. Moreover, he has tallied 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game, numbers which are solid for a 6' 2'' point guard.
Shooting Guard - Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Donovan Mitchell is the best player on the Utah Jazz roster. He is coming off a huge off-season, where he signed a five-year, $195 million extension with the franchise.
However, Mitchell is averaging career-lows in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage this season. Of course, he is likely to get better for the Utah Jazz, as it is early days in the campaign.
Mitchell is averaging 20.2 points (second-best on the Utah Jazz), a career-high 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in the 2020-21 NBA. He has made 37% of his field goals and 34% of his three-pointers.