Atlanta Hawks: 3 Goals for John Collins in 2018-19

As we move ever closer to the preseason, let’s take a look at the goals for each player on the Atlanta Hawks as we head into the 2018-19 regular season.

The Atlanta Hawks are about to enter one of the more interesting seasons in franchise history. Armed with a ton of draft capital and a bunch of promising youngsters, Atlanta knows where it’s going for the first time in a couple years.

With Dennis Schröder being traded in a masterstroke by GM Travis Schlenk and Trae Young taking over the starting point guard spot, everyone else on the roster looks poised to be affected by his elite shooting and underrated passing ability.

John Collins, Atlanta’s 2017 first round draft pick, was fantastic last year averaging 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 58% from the field while playing around 24 minutes a game. His flashes of elite athleticism and his awesome dunking were some nice add-ons to his overall impressive season, earning him a second-team All-Rookie nod.

In order to continue his path of development, Collins and Hawks fans alike should want to see some of these goals this season in order to show that he can be a franchise centerpiece.

Goal #1: Play in over 78 games while averaging over 30 minutes a game

The number one most important thing a player in any sport can do is be on the court/field when game time comes. If you have all the talent in the world with perfect measurables but can never step on the court, you’re not worth a roster spot.

Collins had no problem being on the court last season, playing 74 games (starting 26) with a healthy 24.1 minutes per game. The logical next step this season is being thrust into a starting role and showing that he can perform on a nightly basis. Hitting these benchmarks would go a long way in showing that he can stay on the court and be a daily grinder that all NBA players need to be.

Goal #2: Usage Rate above 26%

The next step for Collins is to be more involved when he’s out there on the court. With a usage rate of 17.9, Collins was using possessions at a lesser rate than we need him to be with his kind of talent. The whole point of basketball is to get the ball in your best players’ hands as much as possible, therefore giving yourself the best chance to win.

While Collins isn’t a ballhandler, which could make this goal hard to reach, he does need to demand the ball more by either running and cutting for lobs or backdoor passes or creating a great post game. Getting the ball to Collins should be more of a priority for Lloyd Pierce as well as John himself.

Goal #3: Get a better read on his defense

This is more of a goal for Hawks fans instead of Collins. While the Hawks weren’t a very good team defensively last year, Collins did as much as he could in Budenholzer’s system. Rarely being out of position, Collins’ defensive mishaps may have been a bit overblown but we aren’t super sure whether he can be a capable shot-blocker in the NBA. Something he should look to do this season is answer the question for us, being in great position on the backline and creating a strong backbone that Atlanta can build off of.

John Collins has the potential to be a star in the NBA, and it looks like the Atlanta Hawks got an absolute steal on draft night. Seeing him show that ability to stay on the court, get more involved in the offense and show us his defensive capabilities are just some goals he should have on his way to becoming a top NBA player.