LA Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction: Combined starting 5 featuring LeBron James and Trae Young

The reigning NBA champions, LA Lakers, will visit the Atlanta Hawks on February 1st in a matchup with lots of star presence. The LeBron James-led LA Lakers currently have a 15-6 record and have been great on the road. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks started the 2020-21 NBA season strongly and still have a winning record after suffering a four-game losing streak in early January.

In this article, we will create a combined starting five from the rosters of these two squads. It should be fun creating a lineup combining experience and youth with potential; qualities players of both teams have.

LA Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction: Combined starting 5

Both teams achieved great road wins in their most recent games. The Hawks defeated the Washington Wizards at Washington with 41 points from Trae Young on January 29th. The LA Lakers ended their two-game losing streak with a great 96-95 win against the Boston Celtics at Boston.

The Lakers will end their seven-game road trip with their visit to Atlanta's State Farm Arena. During this trip, LA have won four of the previous six games. The LA Lakers' schedule has been tough, as they have played 13 of their 21 games on the road and 13 of the last 17.

The 10-9 Atlanta Hawks are sixth in the Eastern Conference, and injuries haven't really helped them, as star free agent signing Bogdan Bogdanovic has played just nine of their 19 games.

The game should be high-scoring, as these two teams are seventh (Atlanta) and eighth (LA) in Offensive Rating.

So without further ado, let us create the combined starting five with players of the LA Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.

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Guard - Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks have a great offensive weapon in Trae Young. He struggled during a seven-game stretch from January 2nd to January 16th when he averaged 18 points and made 32% of his field goals (and the Hawks went 1-6). However, Young has returned to form and is performing tremendously.

Overall, he is averaging 27 points and eight assists per game in the 2020-21 NBA season. He is a volume scorer who will not shoot a high percentage from the field at this stage of his career, but still adds a lot of value to the Atlanta Hawks.

He leads the NBA in free throws and free-throw attempts while also ranking in the Top 20 in Player Efficiency Rating so far.

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Guard - Dennis Schroder (LA Lakers)

Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

One of the best bench scorers from the 2019-20 NBA season, Dennis Schroder is now doing a great job for the LA Lakers as a starting guard. He has even helped LeBron James a lot by handling the ball to start many offensive sets in the 2020-21 NBA season.

Schroder is a dynamic player and he's been arguably the LA Lakers' third-best asset so far. Despite not having a highly efficient year from the field or the three-point line so far, Schroder's 13 points and four assists per game have been huge for Frank Vogel's team.

Small Forward - LeBron James (LA Lakers)

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

At age 36 and in his 18th NBA season, LeBron James continues to be The King of the NBA.

In a season where he was expected to have lots of rest and pick which games he would play according to his own statement, LeBron James has been available for each of the LA Lakers' 21 games, and he's been great.

His numbers are quite similar to those from last year, but he is shooting better from the three-point line and the free-throw line. James is averaging 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.

He is leading the team in scoring and assists per game. Moreover, James has made 49% of his field goals and 41% of his three-pointers so far. From the free-throw line, The King has made 71% of his attempts.

James did not have a great game against the Boston Celtics, however. He scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out seven assists in 37 minutes. However, he made seven points in the fourth quarter and assisted three times to help the LA Lakers reach their 15th win of the year.

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Power Forward - John Collins (Atlanta Hawks)

John Collins #20 and Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks.

Forward John Collins has played in every game for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2020-21 NBA season so far. Collins' production has been solid, even though he has not matched his numbers from the 2019-20 NBA campaign.

Last season, Collins averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game while making 58% of his field goals and also blocking two shots per night. In the current season, Collins is averaging 16 points per game with 7.7 rebounds. His numbers are still fine, as he has made 54% of his shots and 40% of his three-pointers, but he might need to be more aggressive.

Still, he's had six double-doubles so far and is the team's third-best scorer and second-best rebounder.

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Center - Anthony Davis (LA Lakers)

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Davis has been solid for the LA Lakers in the current season and is giving Frank Vogel's team 22 points and nine rebounds on a nightly basis. However, even Davis has criticized his own performances in the 2020-21 NBA season.

In reality, where Davis is really doing less than expected is at the free-throw line. AD has made 80% of his free-throws during his nine-year NBA career, but he has made only 70% this season, which is his career low.

Apart from that, Davis continues to take a good number of shots per game, has made 52% of his field goals and his 3P shooting remains reasonable. Defensively, he is still giving the LA Lakers a steal and two blocks per game, while leading the squad in defensive rating (third in the league) and ranking second in the NBA in defensive win shares.

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