The Atlanta Hawks and John Collins finally came to a contract agreement last summer. For a lot of Hawks fans, it was an offseason too late but Collins bet on himself and managed to score himself a five-year, $125.0 million deal, back with the team who drafted him four seasons ago.
Collins is vital to the success of the franchise. Yes, there were times throughout last season that Collins went missing and the Hawks suffered. However, Collins has a lot to live up to, he believed himself to be a max player. Despite the value being just under the max, Collins has to show that he is worth the money.
As the NBA world is aware, it is one thing to ask for the bag, it is another to produce night in and night out. The Hawks also recognize this as they gave Trae Young everything they could, including offering the incentives in his deal. Still, Collins is one of the best players to come out of the 2017 NBA draft. Let’s take a look at the top 10 players of his draft class and where Collins sits.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) The No.1 pick slips down to No. 10
The really unfortunate thing for Markelle Fultz is that his body has let him down during his time in the league. Taken with the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers, Fultz has had one season where he played more than 70 games and that was during the COVID-19 season.
He also appeared to have the mental yips when it came to his shot when he was playing with the 76ers. To be fair to Fultz he was meant to be the third star alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and the pressure that is on players after the process took its course was incredible.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Lauri Markkanen slips down to No. 9
Originally taken with the seventh pick in the 2017 draft, Lauri Markkanen slips down two spots to be taken with the ninth pick. He has put up some really good scoring numbers in his time with the Chicago Bulls, but there will always be a job in the NBA for a player who is 7’0″ and can shoot the ball from the perimeter.
The problem for Markkanen is that while 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game look nice, his actual effectiveness has declined. He has gone from starting almost every game for his first three seasons to starting just over half last season.
While it could be attributed to the change in coach, let’s not forget that Billy Donovan tried to turn Domantas Sabonis into a stretch-four in his rookie year. He likes these types of players but the problem is that Markkanen is too much of a perimeter player.
He only averages 0.5 blocks per game for his career which is not good enough for a player of his size. It points to an issue with his defense and this is a big flaw in his game. Still, while he can hit more than 40 percent from beyond the arc, Markkanen will have suitors.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Lonzo Ball slips down the order to No. 8
Originally taken with pick No. 2 by the Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball was an interesting proposition that never really bore fruit for the franchise. He is a 6’6″point guard with all the skills to make it as an NBA player, he has just not put it together for a full season yet.
Ball has struggled with injuries all through his four years. This has to be one of the reasons the New Orleans Pelicans, the team Ball was traded to as part of the Anthony Davis trade, did not offer him an extension to his rookie deal.
Ball gives you a little bit of everything when he is on the court. He has averaged 11.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. However, Ball has had issues with his 3-point shooting action and is not very efficient.
The other problem for the former No. 2 pick is that he is a career 56.0 percent shooter from the free-throw line. This is an issue that needs to be rectified before Ball hits a playoff series with any meaning. He did shoot his free throws at 78.1 percent last season but he needs to do this for an extended period for teams to believe that he has fixed this issue.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) The second-round bolter Dillon Brooks
There are a number of surprises in any draft and in 2017 the biggest surprise was Dillon Brooks. Originally taken in the second round with the 45th pick, Brooks has shown what can be done if you apply yourself and work hard.
With the exception of his second season when he was injured and only played 18 games, Brooks has been a solid scorer for the Grizzlies. His versatility has also allowed him to move about in the starting lineup, playing wither wing position.
His value has improved so much over the four seasons that the Grizzlies are looking to potentially trade him if the price is right. This shows the value of a second-round pick, you can take a flier on a player and if they work out he helps the team and you look like a genius.
Brooks still has his issues, he has not improved his efficiency too much over time, in fact, his 3-point percentage was the worst it has been since he entered the league. What Brooks has done is increased the number of attempts on the basket and kept his field goal percentage reasonably steady.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Jarrett Allen moves towards the top
Originally taken with the 22nd pick in the 2017 draft, Jarrett Allen has shown himself to be a solid option for a starting center role. He showed during his time with the Brooklyn Nets that he was a tremendous rim protector who could elevate and finish at the rim with the best of them.
Allen has continued to develop into a really good athletic old-school big. Last season he averaged a double-double with 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds. This was despite changing teams midway through the season, moving from the Nets to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a result of the James Harden trade.
However, there are limitations to Allen’s game that stop him from moving any further up in the draft. As stated earlier, he is an old-school big, he hits his field goals at 61.1 percent but has made 17 of only 85 shots from behind the arc, good for 20.0 percent. On top of this Allen is a poor free-throw shooter, only making 69.6 percent of his attempts from the line
It is unlikely that Allen will develop these areas of his game too much but he has shown that he is much better than the draft slot that he was taken in.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) The Kings were right with De’Aaron Fox
One of the only players who was taken in their correct position in the entire draft was De’Aaron Fox who was taken by the Sacramento Kings. Fox has grown every season that he has been in the league which led to the Kings extending Fox to a max deal last offseason.
He certainly deserves this deal as he has been a beacon of light in the Kings rebuild that they seem to have been in for the past decade. He has improved every year that he has been in the league and last season was one of the best point guards in the league.
The reason that Fox is not rated higher in this draft despite averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game is that he has yet to help the Kings get anywhere but the bottom half of the Western Conference.
Yes, it is an incredibly difficult conference to rise up in but Fox is yet to show that his numbers are not just empty stats. He needs to start setting the tone for the team every night, helping them to win more than the lose and getting them to the business end of the season.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) John Collins is the new No. 4
Originally taken with the 19th pick in this draft, John Collins moves up to the top four, even ahead of Fox. The difference is that Collins had his season where he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds but then learned from that and when the Hawks surrounded him with veterans, Collins still performed.
The beauty of that was that he performed in a manner that helped his team win. Yes, his production went down but that was due to his role changing. However, like the true professional that he is, Collins was still able to maintain his efficiency.
When Collins is aggressive he is one of the hardest players to stop in the entire league. He is able to use his athleticism to change a game in the Hawks’ favor. He can leap over some of the biggest players in the league on an offensive rebound which can lift the team.
Collins was also able to shoot the 3-ball at 39.9 percent last season making him a true stretch-four option. He can hurt you both inside and out offensively and has improved his defense playing next to Clint Capela. He showed that he was capable of leading the defense when Capela was off the floor.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Bam Adebayo moves from 14 to No. 3
In a draft in which most of the top five were not the players that their teams were expecting to get, Bam Adebayo was no exception to this rule. The Miami Heat took Adebayo with the 14th pick and he quickly became a solid two-way player.
IIn his third season in the league, Adebayo showed that he was a piece that the Heat could build around. He averaged a double-double with 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He also improved his playmaking ability, averaging 5.1 assists per game. Defensively he also continued to grow averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals which helped lead the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020.
Adebayo continued to develop his game this season, averaging similar numbers while also continue to shoot efficiently from the floor. However, he is still struggling to shoot from the perimeter which is a skill he will continue to develop over his career.
The Heat have another five years to develop other players around Adebayo. They locked him up for his rookie max extension straight after the dream finals campaign of the COVID-19 interrupted season. This was the only move the team could make given the incredible talent that Adebayo is.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Jayson Tatum moves up one spot to No. 2
In just four short seasons, Jayson Tatum has established himself as a bona fide star in the league. The Boston Celtics are building around Tatum and Jaylen Brown who they drafted the following season. Together they form an incredible one-two punch for the franchise.
Last season Tatum averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35.8 minutes per game. These numbers are incredibly impressive particularly as he has produced at this level for the past two seasons and has been a major reason the Celtics have been in the playoffs for the past fours seasons.
Tatum is so close to being a complete player, especially on offense. He shot 38.6 percent on his 7.6 attempts from beyond the arc last season. On top of that, he hit 45.9 percent of his 20.6 field goal attempts. Fouling Tatum gave the opposition no relief either, he went 86.8 percent on his 5.3 attempts from the line.
Tatum is going to get even better the longer that he plays in the league. He is turning the ball over more than he ever has in his career but his usage rate is also higher than it has ever been.
Atlanta Hawks redrafting 2017 top 10) Donovan Mitchell is the best player in the draft.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
Originally selected with the 13th pick in the draft, Donovan Mitchell was the most NBA-ready player in the entire draft. He has never averaged less than 20.5 points per game in any of his four seasons in the league.
On top of that, the Jazz have made the playoffs in each of his four seasons meaning that Mitchell’s numbers are having a huge impact on the franchise. His playoff series duel against Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets in the bubble will go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
The impact of Mitchell’s play was highlighted when he was out with an ankle injury at the end of the last regular season. The team was not as dynamic without him, almost losing the top spot in the league to the Phoenix Suns. He then missed the first game of the Jazz’s first-round series, which the Jazz lost.
When Mitchell came back the Jazz went on to win the series but lost the next series against the LA Clippers. Throughout all of that, Mitchell was very hard to stop. The longer he plays in the league, the better he is going to get which is a scary proposition given he is a top player in the league already.