Atlanta Hawks: Three-Point Shot Could Unlock John Collins Growth

An exploration of the future of John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks through the lens of his three-point shooting.

John Collins, the bouncy and athletic big man that was drafted 19^th overall in 2017, had one of the best rookie seasons in Atlanta Hawks history last year.

He put forth multiple instant-classic dunks, which were ranked here from his excellent rookie season.

He was also responsible for this astonishing slam atop Cedi Osman’s head against the Cavs:

Beyond that, his boundless effort on the boards allowed to carve out a niche for himself as a glass-eating putback machine – something that Atlanta Hawks fans certainly appreciate after getting clobbered on the glass in the playoffs year after year.

Collins also showed a knack for surprising opposing player with weakside help blocks, and he actually led the Hawks in blocks per game (1.1), total blocks (80) and block rate (3.8%) – an impressive feat for a player whose defensive acumen was severely questioned coming into the league.

It’s clear that we think John Collins is one of the best players on the Hawks right now, and he likely will be for the foreseeable future.

However, there is one important facet of his game that will be the key to his long-term potential. As is the case with any talented big man, three-point shooting is now extremely important to unlocking a player’s ceiling. The same is true of John the Baptist.

JC only shot a total of 47 three-pointers last season – hitting them at a 34 percent clip. In order to truly reach the heights that his athletic profile and rookie season portended, he must be able to hit a wide variety of three-pointers from various different aspects of the game.

Last year, most of his attempts were limited to catch-and-shoot triples in the corner off of drive-and-kick action. If Collins wants to really tap into the modern big man’s bag of tricks, he must be willing to take deeper threes from various areas on the court.

Even if his numbers stay the same or dip into the lower 30s, the idea of a springy big man like Collins taking a three will completely alter the spacing on the court, which should allow rim-attackers like Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Tyler Dorsey and Taurean Prince a chance to get an easy two or an easy pass to a wide-open player for two.

Either way, we can’t wait for the 2018-19 Atlanta Hawks season to start and to see how John Collins will continue to develop at the highest level. Let’s go!