Atlanta Hawks: 1 stud and 1 dud from tough loss to the Cavs
Atlanta Hawks dud from loss to Cavs: John Collins has to be the second-best player
When John Collins signed his new deal this past offseason — the one worth up to $125 million over five years — it came with expectations. There is the expectation that he would be locked in night in, night out. And there is also a certain expected level of production. In the loss on Saturday, he was locked in, but the results just weren’t there.
Collins had 12 rebounds, a feat in and of itself given the Cavs length in the starting lineup.
He struggled to a paltry six points, though, on 37.1 percent shooting. The 6-foot-9 forward also had five personal fouls and failed to connect on any of his three attempts from beyond the arc.
The Hawks followed through on attacking the mid-range. light. Related Story
It’s especially disappointing after Collins fell just one rebound shy of a 16-point double-double against Dallas, a team that also has decent length. Collins also went 2-for-3 from deep in that one.
The difference could be that Cleveland’s bigs were a focal point of their attack.
To his credit, Collins acknowledged the heightened expectations that would come with being one of the higher-paid players in the NBA. He’ll bounce back from this as sure as he has many t-shirt worthy dunks.
You could even argue this spot should be shared by Bogdanovic and Huerter.
Next. 1 stud and 1 dud from the season opener. dark
On any given night, however, there is a good chance that Young will be the best player on the floor. It is Collins’ job to be the second-best player more often than not. That did not happen in this one but it might versus a reeling Pistons team — against whom he is averaging 20.0 points and 8.0 boards — on Monday.