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Atlanta Hawks: John Collins NBA Africa Game Highlights

ByChris Guest|
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 2: John Collins of Team World works out at the Basketball Without Boarders Africa program at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 2, 2018 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 2: John Collins of Team World works out at the Basketball Without Boarders Africa program at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 2, 2018 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA Africa Game 2018 occurred over the weekend on August 4 and second-year Hawks up-and-coming star John Collins saw action for 10 minutes as a member of Team World.

John Collins, who is genuinely one of the most exciting and likable players on the Hawks, helped lead Team World to a 96-92 victory over Team Africa – though his counting stats did not particularly pop off the page: Collins finished with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound in only 10 minutes of action.

Danilo Gallinari led the way for Team World with 23 points and Joel Embiid was dominant – leading all scorers with 24 points as well as this fairly spectacular crossover and step-back combo:

Though JC did not scratch the field (0-4, 0-2 from downtown), he did manage to hit both of his free throws and was on the court for some important minutes and ended up with a game-high box plus/minus of +12 (tied with Team World teammate Hassan Whiteside and Team Africa’s Al-Farouq Aminu).

The game was a rather tight affair throughout and was regarded as one of the best NBA Africa games in recent memory.

Joel Embiid always seems to bring the intensity – no matter what the scenario is – and this game was no exception. Even playing against little kids at camps, The Process is ready to clamp down and swat shots with reckless abandon no matter who he’s defending.

Likewise, disgruntled Miami Heat big man Whiteside looked sharp in his 18 minutes of playing time – stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting (including a three-pointer!), 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.

For John the Baptist, he was unable to finish any thumping slams, though he did attempt one, as these photos attest:

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1026109857013919744

Collins was the youngest player involved in the proceedings, and his inclusion will hopefully bring even more eyes to the 2018-19 Atlanta Hawks, who are attempting to recapture the fan base after an NBA low in attendance last season.

With Second Team All-Rookie member Collins, the Atlanta Hawks have a supremely gifted athlete who can contribute to winning basketball when surrounded by vets or hone his craft and improve his game when surrounded by fellow young players.

In the NBA Africa Game, it was nice to see him play well and contribute to a solid team win surrounded by world-class player.

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