The Atlanta Hawks are facing a big decision this offseason. Do they pay John Collins, matching any offer sheet that he signs, or do they let him walk for nothing? The answer to this question lies in which Collins you think you are going to get?
Last season, Collins averaged 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The appeared to be a breakout season for him, cut short by the global pandemic that is COVID 19. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they only won 20 games despite this production.
This season the Hawks added a huge amount of talent. Collins remained the starter and despite adding his talent, Collins’ averages were only slightly lower. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. This is to be expected when you have so much extra talent added.
The Atlanta Hawks want to see the Dr. Jekyll side of John Collins
The problem for the Hawks is that Collins is crucial for their offense, and a little surprisingly, their defensive structures. Offensively, when he is on, Collins is an unstoppable force. He can hurt you in multiple ways.
Collins is a career 38.0 percent 3-point shooter which is solid on 2.3 attempts per game. This season he shot the 3-ball at 39.9 percent what backed up last season’s number of 40.1 percent from deep.
On top of that, Collins is a career 55.6 percent from the field and has shot his free throws at 80 percent or higher for the past two seasons. But where he can lift a team is with his dunking ability. If Collins goes up athletically, the roof can be raised off State Farm Arena.
On defense, Collins has improved out of sight since Clint Capela came to town. Sometimes he is even playing the five when Capela sits and doing it effectively. So why then do I think that Collins is not a max player? The answer is the Mr. Hyde side of Collins.
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The Atlanta Hawks would not be wise to pay top dollar while there is still My Hyde in John Collins.
Now, don’t get me wrong, every player is entitled to have a bad game. The problem is that Collins goes missing during games, especially on offense. It could be a lack of confidence at times but he needs to be having an impact on the game when he is on the court.
Collins had nine games where he scored ten points or less. He had 25 games where he had less than 15 points. On top of that, he had 14 games where he had four rebounds or less. Collins also struggles with foul trouble, having 17 games where he had four fouls and nine games where he had five fouls. You need your max player to be able to be on the court at the crucial times, playing at his best.
However, the fourth game of the Philadelphia 76ers series summed up Collins’ Jekyll and Hyde tendencies the best. In the first half, Collins could not hit a shot. He had a dunk that he missed and he air-balled a 3-point shot. He had open looks after that and passed the ball.
As a result, the Hawks were down big. Trae Young had a bad shoulder so the Hawks’ two best players were below their usual standard. Well Young, who thrives in playoff basketball, got himself going by creating for others, finishing with 27 points and 18 assists.
Collins, who was not crashing the boards in the first half, was obviously spoken to and in the third quarter got two monster dunks, including a huge putback. Collins was up and it helped energize the team. He is still to learn that if you are not going so well in one area, as a max-type player, you can still do many other things to help the team and get you going. Less Hyde, more Jekyll, please.