#1. Kevin Huerter/John Collins: +1.8 Net Rating
The single-best two-man combination on the Atlanta Hawks unsurprisingly features the two players that are having the best seasons of any Hawks players. While Trae Young is putting up numbers, no one would argue that Ice Trae is having a better season than Red Pepper – even if Trae’s passing is already at an elite level for a 20-year-old rookie.
While that’s certainly true, similar things could be said about multiple facets of Huerter’s game, albeit it has come at a far lower usage rate.
At this point, John Collins is a clear cornerstone player for the Hawks, and with good reason as his all-around impact belies an up-and-coming star in the league.
The Huerter/Collins combination was the only two-man lineup that produced a positive net rating in its 232 minutes, putting forth a meager +1.8 net rating. Even though that number is fairly low, this two-man grouping is putting up excellent numbers across the board comparatively.
Among all Atlanta Hawks two-man units, the Huerter/Collins combination is first in true shooting percentage (57.2 percent), first in effective field goal percentage (54 percent), first in total rebound rate (51.7 percent), first in defensive rebound rate (75.2 percent), first in assist ratio (18.2) and first overall in offensive rating (106.7) – beating the next two-man pairing by more than 5 points.
A killer combination that features at-rim finishing, sterling three-point shooting and great rebounding, the Huerter/Collins pairing is one that should bring Atlanta Hawks fans plenty of joy for many years to come.
And to think, both of these players were drafted 19th overall! All I can say is Trust the Caw-cess.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com and current as of 12-15-18 except where noted.