Impact of Atlanta Hawks F John Collins clearing protocols

The Atlanta Hawks haven’t had many things to celebrate over the last few weeks. Their record (16-20) is just one game better than it was at this time last season. And, while they aren’t heading for the kind of changes at head coach they made last season, fans should expect changes to the roster before the trade deadline.

So says general manager Travis Schlenk.

But in a more immediate boost, forward John Collins has cleared health and safety protocols, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

John Collins’ return will provide the Atlanta Hawks with a big lift literally and figuratively

Collins has missed the last four games in protocols and will miss his fifth on Wednesday when the Hawks play the Kings in Sacramento. The plan, per Charania, is for Collins to travel ahead to Los Angeles – where the Hawks will face both the Clippers and Lakers – to meet with team doctors and determine his readiness.

He, like the rest of the Hawks to go on the list, was grandfathered into the old protocols that called for 10-day isolation even as the NBA moved to a five-day model.

It has been a solid campaign for Collins as he has displayed a new level of versatility with a career-high 2.1 assists. He was on an absolute tear before joining the Hawks long list of COVID inactives.

The fifth-year, high-flying forward was averaging 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over his last five games while shooting 52.1 percent from the floor and 55.0 percent from deep.

They have averaged over 121 points in the games he’s been out but Atlanta has also given up 130-plus points three times. They had done that three times all season prior to that with two of those coming after they began their battle with COVID. Granted, two of those games came against the East-leading Chicago Bulls.

However, the others were against a Cleveland Cavaliers team without Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio, or Collin Sexton and the Trail Blazers without Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum.

Collins won’t be a cure-all. But he will help mask a lot of the issues just by being on the court to catch lobs from Trae Young. Those, like Young’s threes from the logo, have the ability to swing a game’s momentum in a possession.

It could take him some time to get back into the flow, something the Hawks have to try to speed up as much as possible. But Collins’ return is a big lift to a Hawks team that badly needs one.