When the Atlanta Hawks and John Collins were not able to agree on his rookie extension, it looked like the writing was on the wall. They had traded for Clint Capela last season and then added Danilo Gallinari in the offseason.
Gallinari is a long time starter in the league who plays the same position as Collins. It could be assumed that Collins was unsure about his future, given that the Hawks also drafted Onyeka Okongwu with the sixth pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
When you look at it like that, the frontcourt is going to be very crowded. All of these players have skills that mirror or even exceed Collins’ own. Gallinari is a better 3 point shooter, Capela is a better rebounder and defender, and who knows what Okongwu will do in the league, his upside is currently unknown.
The Atlanta Hawks are having fun and John Collins is in the middle of it.
The Hawks have been decimated by injury, to the point where Solomon Hill had to start in place of De’Andre Hunter last game. It did not matter as the Hawks got the job done behind Clint Capela’s historical night and Trae Young’s 38 points and 10 assists.
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Collins also had a huge night with 31 points and 11 rebounds and his block at the end of regulation was incredible. What no commentator spoke about was that Young was in the perfect position to take the charge. Collins certainly noticed it and he made sure that Young knew that he was appreciated.
At the end of the game, after the overtime victory, the celebration between Collins and Young was good. however, the celebration between Collins and Capela was just awesome to watch. These two players have clearly bonded.
Collins and Capela are fast becoming one of the best frontcourts in the game today. Together they are averaging 31.0 points, 21.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals which are good numbers. They are both shooting the ball at over 50 percent from the field and both are getting more than 10 shots per game.
The partnership is going to be even better when the rest of the team comes back from injury. There is a chance that Collins has already decided what he is going to do next year. However, if the Hawks start winning more when they are healthy, Collins may decide to stay.
One thing is for sure, it is going to be fun watching these two play together until the Hawks and Collins part ways. Let’s hope that is March at the earliest and four years down the track.