A once-promising young NBA player with a somewhat disappointing career arc will reunite with his former teammates tonight, as the Utah Jazz visit the Atlanta Hawks at The Highlight Factory.

No, I wasn't thinking about Devin Harris.

Welcome Home, Marvin Williams!

It will be all cheesy grins and handshakes for our anatine former starting small forward and Rubik's Cube aficionado, out of commission with an inflamed knee. Folks in Salt Lake our still kicking the tires on their once-used Kia, suspecting there's plenty more juice left to be squeezed out of that lemon, if he's used properly.

Despite starting Marvin regularly, Coach Ty Corbin has managed somehow to reduce his minutes (25.6 MPG) from last season. Corbin is keeping Gordon Hayward flexible while avoiding a squeeze play among Paul Millsap, South Atlanta High's Derrick Favors, and Al Jefferson, by giving Marvin (8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 44.1 FG%, 0.9 3PM/G) a quick hook early and heavily rotating his talented bigs in crunch time.

But while he can't play tonight, there's plenty more young talent on this roster ready to go. Pure energy can always be expected from DeMarre Carroll, the former Grizzlie and preseason sensation who moved into Marvin's starter spot. He's not a strong shooter, but can fortify Utah's rebounding and defensive needs in Marvin's absence.

Meanwhile, Mo Williams' thumb surgery is requiring other youngsters to step up. Hayward is Utah's top scoring wing (13.7 PPG), but has come off the bench since mid-November as his defense has been underwhelming. Alec Burks is getting more consistent shine off the bench and continues to find his NBA jumper (37.1 FG%). During wins against Dallas and Chalotte, Burks got double-digit points in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Hawks could make hay with good guard play. No guard on the Jazz roster possesses a defensive rating above 105 (Jamaal Tinsley and the recently recalled Kevin Murphy from the D-League allow 107 points per 100 possessions). Jazz guards will swipe at the ball but guide opponents into the teeth of the defense on the inside. Point guards Jeff Teague and Harris (starting together for the first time in awhile) will want to use dribble penetration to kickstart the offense, and should be ready to catch-and-shoot from the perimeter at the end of the shot clock, if necessary.

The Jazz guards will try and match the Hawks shot-for-shot from the three-point line. Randy Foye (14th in NBA in 3-point FGM) and Hayward (8-for-10 in his last two games) each shoot above 40 percent. Even Millsap shoots just under one per game (career-high 42.9%) and he will likely goad Josh Smith into an outside shooting contest.

Millsap (14.7 PPG, 48.2 FG%) is having a down year from his torrid peripheral All-Star season of 2011-12, perhaps being differential to the other bigs on the floor. But with Mo Williams out he is helping with the passing game (career-high 2.7 APG, 5 assists vs. Charlotte on Wednesday). Jefferson (17.0 PPG) manages to lead the team in scoring and rank 6th in the league for defensive rebounds, while keeping the turnovers to a minimum (7.1 TO%, 5th in NBA).

To match the Jazzer-size in the paint (including Enes "Undertaker" Kanter), Atlanta will need productive minutes from Ivan Johnson, Anthony Tolliver and Zaza Pachulia. Even if he moves to power forward again, Al Horford cannot shy away from his duties to vie for offensive rebounds (just one in 36 minutes at Cleveland). In consecutive games, starting centers (Nikola Pekovic and Tyler Zeller) achieved career highs in rebounds against the Hawks.

The Cavs had the second-most personal fouls per game, yet the Hawks only managed to bang its way into a paltry two free throws made on Wednesday. The team that's tied with Cleveland for second? The Jazz. Will the Hawks find a way to capitalize this time?

Let's hope whoever controls the tempo can keep the game down below four hours this time. Utah's last visit here in March was a four-overtime affair. But it's Friday, and people have clubs to get to!

Go Hawks!

~lw3