Atlanta Hawks delete photo showing John Collins’ injured finger

Surely the Atlanta Hawks (and their fans) would have hoped that John Collins’ injured finger would have been healed by now, or at least, very close to it. But that does not appear to be the case. Collins made his Drew League debut on July 23, joining Trae Young on the Black Pearl Elite as the latter made his return.

Collins has been a hot topic this summer going from top trade candidate by many to being considered the Hawks’ most underrated player by others.

But the team-up, along with hints from head coach Nate McMillan, suggest Collins will remain a fixture in Atlanta. The 6-foot-9 forward signed a five-year, $125 million contract last summer after a quiet free agency.

Collins showed a little more than expected during the exhibition run, though.

John Collins’ finger still looks swollen in pictures from Drew League appearance

Collins and Young’s team did not fare well at the event, losing in an “upset”. Neither took matters seriously as AllHawks.com’s Pat Benson wrote. Per Benson, Young missed a free throw down the stretch and Collins became the first player to ever foul out of a Drew League game in its 49-year history.

The outcome, and even the performance to some extent, are the least of concerns for anyone with interest in the Hawks.

Fans noticed during the game that Collins’ finger, which knocked him out of several games during the season, still looked grotesquely swollen. A picture in which the injury is visible even made it onto the Hawks’ Instagram account but was deleted soon after.

As one fan pointed out, it is a wonder how (and if) Collins got clearance before suiting up.

The injury did not appear to affect him too much on this off-the-glass lob from Young during the game.

Still, Collins missed 23 of the Hawks’ final 27 regular-season games dealing with the same finger as well as a foot injury.

He returned for the postseason but was less than his usual efficient self averaging 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 48.7% from the floor. Collins did knock down 36.4% of his triples, though, as the Hawks eventually bowed out to the Miami Heat in the first round of the postseason.

Collins was still in elite company statistically last season and in his career.

The trio of Collins, Young, and the newly acquired Dejounte Murray have a chance to be one of the best in the NBA next season and, with a little luck, make some real noise in the stacked Eastern Conference.

But he has to be healthy just like the other key components of this roster. Otherwise, the Hawks could be looking at a similar finish to last season.