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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.
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On that note, let us have a look at a hypothetical combined starting-five of the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets.
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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.
Forward - Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets)
Joe Harris is a sniper, and his shooting has been great for the Brooklyn Nets in the first seven games of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The 29-year-old shooter is averaging 5.9 attempts from the three-point line this season, the same as he did last year. as well However, he is averaging three three-point makes per game in the current season compared to 2.5 in the previous one.
Harris has started in each of the Nets' seven games this season, averaging 13.9 points per game with shooting splits of 51/51/67.
Forward - Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Kevin Durant is the undisputed best player in the Brooklyn Nets team and possibly the best in the Eastern Conference. After returning from his Achilles injury, he looks to be in tremendous shape.
However, with the team being 3-4 for the season, some adjustments might be needed, as Durant is the main shot-taker in the Nets roster.
Durant is averaging 28.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in the fledgeling 2020-21 NBA season. He has played six games and has shot the ball fabulously,.with his shooting splits for the Brooklyn Nets this season being 51/46/89.
Kevin Durant leads the Brooklyn Nets in minutes played with 34.2 per game. However, his 17.5 field goal attempts per game are almost three short of Irving's tally of 20.3.
Irving has been efficient from the floor, but Durant probably should average more attempts per game than his teammates.
Center - Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
Another player on the Utah Jazz roster who signed a huge contract recently is center Rudy Gobert, who is the defensive rock of the team coached by Quin Snyder.
Gobert is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year whose presence is always felt at the defensive end of the floor by opposing teams.
Moreover, he is an efficient finisher around the baskets and knows his spots offensively. The Frenchman is averaging 14.5 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in six starts in the 2020-21 NBA season, making 65% of his field goals.
Also Read: New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks: Combined starting-5 including Trae Young and Julius Randle.
Brooklyn Nets Nation! You can check out the latest Brooklyn Nets Schedule and dive into the Nets Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
