Atlanta Hawks: John Collins has been money on the road – mostly

The Atlanta Hawks have had a really tough start to the season. They have played eight of their first 12 games on the road. For a team that has struggled on the road for a number of seasons, this was never going to be an easy time for the franchise.

In five of these games, John Collins has scored in double figures. In two of those games, he scored over 20 points. It is a pity for the Hawks that they were not able to convert either of these games into a victory but that was not the fault of Collins.

There is still an element of Jekyll and Hyde in Collins’ performances. He had three games on the road where he did not score in double digits but in one of those games, he did get 12 rebounds which the team needed against the Cleveland Cavaliers as they were playing against a starting lineup with three 7-foot players.

The Atlanta Hawks need John Collins to keep this production up.

Collins needs to continue this production as the season progresses. He has collected four double-doubles in the first eight road games. Collins had five games where he had ten or more rebounds, including four where he collected 12 rebounds. In the win against the New Orleans Pelicans, Collins had seven offensive boards.

On top of that, with the exception of the last Utah Jazz game, Collins has been shooting the ball quite well on the road. He has gone 58 percent from the floor over the 12 games, an impressive 40.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, and a solid 80 percent from the line.

Collins was given the bag over the offseason and he needs to show that he is worth it. He cannot have many games where he is not one of the best players on the court. This is the pressure that comes with the big contract.