Don’t expect huge nights from the returning Atlanta Hawks players

Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks received the good news that they would receive John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Jalen Johnson back. They were out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, exiting these protocols just prior to the Sacramento Kings game, which the Hawks won.

They did not play that night as the three of them were in Atlanta and could not get to Sacramento in time. However, they will be with the team when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers which will hopefully help the Hawks improve their road trip which they have currently split 2-2.

Despite clearing the protocols, it would be unwise to expect the trio to be at their normal level of production. Covid is an illness that impacts a person’s respiratory system which requires an elite athlete to get their match legs back under them after they come back.

The Atlanta Hawks need to bring these players back gradually.

When Onyeka Okongwu was interviewed about how he was impacted by Covid, he said that it was really difficult to breathe at times. Fellow big man Clint Capela missed two games in health and safety protocols, and when he came back against the New York Knicks, he looked like he had just finished a five-hour practice. The problem is that he was only in the second quarter.

Capela would finish the night with nine rebounds which is acceptable. However, he scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting. While he needs to work on his shooting, Capela did not have the lift on his shot that he normally has, he was not able to power to the rim.

Likewise, when Danilo Gallinari returned against the Portland Trail Blazers, he put in and got 11 rebounds and even gave out four assists. However, he went 3-of-14 from the floor, and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. He did not have his usual shooting stroke.

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The club has already announced that Johnson is going to need more conditioning. While Collins and Bogdanovic will probably start for the Hawks, don’t expect them to get their usual rotations, nor their usual production.