Atlanta Hawks: 3 Takeaways As Blazers Complete 2nd Half Comeback

John Collins continues to show he is the clear PF of the future

Collins worked on his 3-point shot this offseason in an effort to become a complete player on offense, and the results are extremely encouraging thus far. After attempting just over half an attempt a game from the 3-point line last season, Collins is shooting 2.3 3-point attempts per game through 32 games this season and is hitting them at an impressive 38.7 percent clip.

He has coupled a newfound 3-point stroke with an increase in his already impressive offensive rebound rate, now up to 12.1 percent. Those two figures, the offensive rebound rate (the 3.7 offensive rebounds per game) and his 3-point percentage are boosted back the fact that Pierce’s playbook keeps him around the basket or at the 3-point line at the corners or above the break.

So with Collins being coached to be in the right spots, and great distributors in Young (and to a lesser extent) Jeremy Lin and Kevin Huerter to set him up, it’s easy to see how he gets off to such fast starts.

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1089378535800750080

But as briefly mentioned previously in this post, Collins went 2/5 in the fourth as the Hawks tried to overcome the Blazers slight lead starting the final frame. He missed a 3-pointer, which is fine. But the problem in the fourth was that Collins couldn’t finish over the Blazers’ length. He was blocked by Nurkic on a dunk attempt and missed a layup in the fourth as well.

With Young playing well but Collins unable to provide a solid secondary scoring option, the Hawks need for another high-usage offensive talent was clear. But even with the disappointing finish to Saturday’s game, Collins continues to dominant on offense.

Collins’ 19.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.3 APG on 59.3 percent shooting, with a 0.9 net rating, has been a pleasant surprise for even the most confident of Collins supporters of the world.