Atlanta Hawks: Don’t let John Collins numbers fool you

The Atlanta Hawks won their first preseason game, taking a hard-fought victory over the Memphis Grizzlies after two losses. It was good to see the team come together given that they are struggling to develop chemistry due to the number of injuries suffered during the preseason campaign.

They added to this growing number with Gorgui Dieng exiting the game with a sprain to his right hand. This is leaving the Hawks very short in the big man department with Onyeka Okongwu rehabilitating his shoulder after surgery and Clint Capela being very limited due to his Achillies recuperation.

This means that the Hawks are relying on their non-guaranteed big men Johnny Hamilton and Jahlil Okafor, neither of whom are showing the Hawks much. This means that John Collins, the fifth-year man out of Wake Forest needs to step up and take a bigger role, particularly with Trae Young out as well.

The Atlanta Hawks needed more out of John Collins.

Collins came out looking to attack, he was keen to assert himself on the game. The problem was that the Grizzlies had a plan for him. After three plays where he was denied what he wanted, including being blocked once by a rookie wing, you could see him lose confidence.

He then passed the ball to a player which resulted in a turnover. You could see that he was getting encouragement from the sidelines as he continued to attack but you could see he did not believe in what he was doing. He was good enough to make it the line which allowed him to get to the half with nine points and six rebounds. He would finish with 16 points and 12 rebounds and four turnovers..

The problem is that it should have been more. Yes, Collins only played three-quarters of the game but you could see when he came to the bench for the final time that he was unhappy with his work. His third quarter was better with two quality dunks and a straight-on 3-point make. The problem was that Collins had a -2 impact on the box score.

Rookie Santi Aldama had 16 points and nine rebounds with most of his damage being done with Collins on the floor which is not what the Hawks are after. The reason for the magnifying glass being on Collins is that he held out on signing his rookie extension, looking for more money, then did not dominate this pre=season game.

The Atlanta Hawks were missing Young, Capela, Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and Delon Wright. The Grizzlies were missing a number of their big names as well. Now that Collins has the bag he needs to produce and show why he was worth such a big contract. Do not let the numbers fool you, Collins needs to not lose confidence, he needs to lead this team, taking them with him to greater things.