Atlanta Hawks: Expect John Collins to Make a Leap Next Year

A look ahead to the 2018-19 season for second-year Atlanta Hawks player John Collins. Expect big things from the big man next season as he puts his rookie year behind him.

The Atlanta Hawks are set to have a young and interesting team in 2018-19 and one of the main holdovers from 2017-18, John Collins, is also slated to have a big season.

We’ve already delved into the idea that his improved three-point stroke will help expand his game and elevate his status in today’s NBA. The early returns in Summer League were pretty great in limited action, as it was clear that he was too good to be playing big minutes:

Beyond that, after the Atlanta Hawks first preseason game, Collins continued to impress – scoring 18 points in 19 minutes – and almost landing an absolutely jaw-dropping slam:

Once some of those vicious dunks start to fall, the rest of the league better watch out. Even with a lot of near-misses last year, JC still had some electric jams, which we ranked during the offseason.

People around the league are also starting to take notice of Collins’s potential as a recent piece by fantasy sports website The Action Network’s Justin Phan would indicate.

Phan outlines multiple reasons in his piece why Collins should be expected to “make the leap” next season. Most notably, JC’s efficiency around the basket along with his expert offensive rebounding and the likely onset of a rock-solid three-point jumper make John the Baptist a fascinating player for the 2018-19 season.

Beyond that, Phan outlines the statistic that Collins lowered his foul frequency after turning into a fouling machine early on in his Atlanta Hawks career. According to Phan:

"“Now add an expanded offensive arsenal that will translate to a bump in Collins’ scoring and 3s made, and it’s hard to not get excited about his all-around potential. Even more encouraging is that he’s curbed his foul rate, going from 4.7 fouls per 36 minutes before the All-Star break to a more manageable 3.5 after.”"

John Collins will come into the 2018-19 season with high expectations after a superlative rookie season that saw him named to the All-Rookie Second Team. Though most of the attention will be on rookie Trae Young, Collins will get plenty of attention for his acrobatic slams and effortful second-chance points. We can’t wait to watch him!

Keep it locked to Soaring Down South for all your Atlanta Hawks news and updates as the regular season rapidly approaches.