The Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets are set to kick off their seasons in just a few minutes, and both teams' starting lineups have just been announced.

Falcons:

G-Trae Young

G Dyson Daniels

F- De'Andre Hunter

F-Jalen Johnson

C-Clint Capela

Networks:

G-Dennis Schroder

G Cam Thomas

F Cam Johnson

F – Dorian Finney Smith

C-Ben Simmons

There is no doubt who is the more talented team on paper.

Trae Young has had his most injury-ridden season, but now he's back at the heart of the Hawks. He's looked like himself for much of the preseason and against what I think is a poor Nets defense, it could be a big night for Young.

Daniels started alongside Young in preseason and the results were very intriguing. It's been a pretty solid preseason for Daniels and he'll likely be tasked with guarding Nets guard Cam Thomas tonight. Thomas is a scorer, but he can get hot on any given night, and if the Hawks lose this game, Thomas probably had a big night. Daniels will be asked to shoot the three and be an elite perimeter defender, which he showed in the preseason.

In two preseason games, Zaccharie Risacher averaged 16 PPG, 5 RPG and 1.7 APG on 60% shooting and 44% from three. He had an offensive rating of 129.4 and was second on the team among qualified Hawks in PER (player efficiency rating) this preseason with a PER of 23.2, behind only Jalen Johnson.

Speaking of Johnson, he's now a long-term cornerstone for the Hawks after signing his contract extension before the season, and I think he's in for a big year.

Johnson played in three of the Hawks' four preseason seasons and averaged 16.9 PPG on 69% shooting and 87% shooting through three games along with 7.3 RPG in 23 minutes per game. Now obviously you can't expect three-point shooting like that this season, but it just goes to show how impressive Johnson has been this preseason.

Now he wasn't perfect. He averaged four turnovers per game (way too high) and I'd like to see his assist numbers go up and he become more of a secondary creator next to Trae Young, but that's being nitpicking.

Looking at Brooklyn, the Hawks are the more talented team, but the Nets have good players. While they may have the lowest win total early in the year, that low number is due in part to the fact that Brooklyn has the potential to make trades down the stretch. Right now they have good NBA players who, if given the chance, can have a big night.

Thomas is the guy to keep an eye on in Brooklyn. He is by far the best scorer and shot creator on the team and will often have the ball in his hands. For Brooklyn to win, he'll likely need to score in the 30s.

The wild card in this game is Ben Simmons. He hasn't played much the last few seasons, but he comes into the game healthy. What will he be able to offer the Nets tonight and is there a chance he looks like the guy who was an All-NBA player early in his career? Probably not, but it's worth seeing.

With Bojan Bogdanovic and Day'Ron Sharpe out, the Nets' bench will be thin, and this is where the Hawks have a massive advantage.

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Hawks will be the favorites at home tonight. Atlanta will be a 6.5-point favorite against the Nets, with a total of 222.5 points.

If the Hawks defense is as improved as I think it is, they should win this game. The best way for the Nets to win is for Thomas to have a big night, but even if he scores 30 or more points tonight, what will Brooklyn get from their bench? I think the Hawks will have a huge advantage here and I want the Hawks to win and cover tonight.

Final score: Hawks 117, Nets 105