Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: John Collins vs Aaron Gordon a matchup to watch

By Joshua Buckhalter

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts to a technical foul called against him while playing the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on November 08, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts to a technical foul called against him while playing the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on November 08, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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This season hasn’t been particularly kind to the Atlanta Hawks. Their 4-8 start — the result of inconsistent offense leading to a defense that has been even more inconsistent — is far off of their expected pace. A four-game road trip has only served to exacerbate matters as the team works out the misfires.

Friday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets won’t offer much reprieve. They are 7-4, have won their last three games, and get Nikola Jokic back from a one-game suspension for pushing Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr.

Jokic’s return isn’t the most pressing concern for the Hawks in this game.

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins’ matchup with Aaron Gordon won’t be easy

John Collins has been the second-most consistent Hawks player this season. He did not perform like it in the loss to the Jazz on Tuesday, logging seven points and four rebounds in over 35 minutes. Collins was 3-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from long range. It was easily his worst outing of the season.

His 15.5 points per game are down from last year, but he’s averaging 8.5 rebounds (1.1 more than last season), and a career-high 2.3 assists.

Collins is also shooting a career-high 45.5 percent from downtown.

On Friday, he’ll draw a tough assignment in Denver’s Aaron Gordon that could make a bounce-back performance tougher than many other matchups. The 6-foot-8 Gordon is averaging 11.6 points and 6.2 boards.

That isn’t the reason for the concern, though.

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The former Orlando Magic forward is seventh in defensive win shares this season. He’s held opponents to 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 29.8 percent from three.

What’s more, Gordon possesses similar athleticism to Collins, meaning the lobs from Trae Young could be tougher to complete. It also means that Collins could himself be on lob-alert in this one.

The two teams split their two-game series last season, but Gordon and Collins only met up once. Gordon got the better of Collins with the former holding the latter to zero points on 0-for-6 shooting and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. The Hawks lost that game, which was also in Denver, 126-102.

Collins’ playmaking ability will have to play as big of a role in this game as it has all season in hopes of catching Gordon sleeping.

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When the roles are reversed, Gordon had two points on 1-of-2 shooting but, again, his offense isn’t why he’s out there. The same cannot be said for Collins and the Hawks will certainly need him to have a better outing than the last one. They are 3-3 when he scores over 15 points and are 1-5 when he’s scored below that this season.

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