Atlanta Hawks Team Awards at the Quarter-Season Mark

Rookie of the Year – John Collins

This one was pretty much a no-brainer. Though Atlanta folk hero Tyler Cavanaugh continues to impress after being forced into big minutes due to innumerable frontcourt injuries, John Collins has been an absolute beast for the Hawks before and after suffering an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder on November 30^th.

Collins, whose statistical exploits were thoroughly explored here, has been a consistent and important part of the Hawks offense and defense throughout this season.

Per 100 possessions, Collins has the second-highest offensive rating on the Hawks with a muscular 119 (only behind Tyler Cavanaugh’s titanic 130 ORtg in limited playing time). JC also has the highest Player Efficiency Rating on the team with a 20.8, which is also tops among a historically stacked rookie class – no small feat for a player who was drafted 19^th overall.

JC’s most impressive statistical profile is his offensive rebounding. He is 14^th in the league with 69 offensive rebounds in only 528 minutes of play, and his immense 14.8 offensive rebound percentage is the 5^th-highest mark in the entire NBA.

On the defensive end, Collins is also performing remarkably well. John the Baptist leads the Hawks with 23 blocks and is averaging 1 block per game. Collins has the second-highest defensive rating per 100 possessions on the team, tied with Dewayne Dedmon with a 109 DRtg.

When Collins is playing, he is going to outwork almost every other player on the court when it comes to siphoning up offensive boards, and that work ethic coupled with a supremely efficient offensive playstyle (59.7 field goal percentage, 5^th in the league) makes him an easy choice for the Hawks Rookie of the Year.