John Collins is set to return to the Hawks on Friday night after missing the team’s past seven games, according to Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
Collins has been dealing with a strained right foot and coach Nate McMillan had previously said he’d be a game-time decision, but evidently Collins feels good enough to play after going through a pregame warm-up, as Spencer tweets.
Friday’s matchup is a key one for the Hawks because they’re on the road against the Wizards, the team directly beneath them in the standings. Atlanta currently holds a 30-32 record, 10th in the East, while Washington trails by one-and-a-half games at 28-33.
Collins signed a five-year, $125MM contract during the 2021 offseason after playing an important role in helping the Hawks reach last year’s Eastern Conference finals. He has remained productive this season, averaging 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds through 50 games while shooting 53.7% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range.
Collins’ return will help bolster a Hawks squad that’s a little short on frontcourt depth at the moment, as second-year big man Onyeka Okongwu is currently in the league’s concussion protocol.
We need that mf too. Can’t be depending on Trae to go for 41 & 39 like he has in our last 2 Ws. Hopefully my boy is fully healthy and energized for this stretch run bc we got a bunch of ground to make up
Hawks are pretty much a lock for 9 or 10 seed, if they hold off the Wizards. they aren’t catching Toronto or Brooklyn.
Statistically they’re definitely more likely to stay where they’re at or go up or down a spot. But when healthy, this is a team that has shown time & time again that they can be extremely tough to beat even on the road but especially at home. The team is now healthy (Okongwu should be out of concussion pro by Monday) & nobody should be surprised if they start to run off the Ws in March (& esp Apr/May). I’m not so much worried about the Charlotte’s & Toronto’s, I’ve had Cleveland in my sights since before all-star break. We catch them & we don’t have to sweat that play-in
Hawks are 6 behind Cleveland with 20 to go…not likely.
Agreed that no one is gonna want to play the Hawks though.
Cavs are missing their points guards tho
Garland has been back for a while. He’s playing against your sixers right now.
I don’t watch much Hawks basketball but I caught them against the Bulls the other day.
Was a great game and Trae was an absolute beast.
So any hawks fans point me out if I’m wrong or if you agree whatever.
I thought Capela is key to Trae young’s game. That high pick and roll and the lob game. Plus the occasional offensive rebound which gives them second chance points. Clint I know doesn’t space the floor at all and should go to the rim which more authority but he sets a good pick and rolls well.
Secondly I think the key to unlocking this team is upgrading on the wing. From what I saw, Bogi is key as someone who can come off the bench, can close games, can defend abit and can be trusted to handle the ball. But Kevin Hueter I think let’s them down a little. If they want to be a top team I think they need to upgrade over him. He does hit shots, and can handle but he doesnt look confident or step up to help. I originally thought DeRozan would’ve been great before last offseason. I thought ANT would’ve been great in the draft but they sat back at 6th and took Okungwu. I think MarJon Beauchamp or Jaden Hardy could be that guy for them from the draft. Donovan Mitchell could be worth reading or if h becomes available.
Lastly John Collins, is he really worth it? I know after the Sixers vs Hawks series last year he and Gallo were key cause they could space the floor and rebound and fill up the lane but I dont think he’s a perfect fit with Trae and Capela. Plus factoring in his deal I just don’t think it’s ideal.
Which makes me think going into the offseason you need to take either Beauchamp or Hardy and wait it out. Alternatively deal Collins, Hueter, Okungwu and a pair of firsts for Mitchell and Bogi. In which case don’t take Beauchamp or Hardy and instead take Baldwin, Eason or Liddell.
Thoughts
I think Trae Spida Hunter Bogi Capela could really be the start of something special in ATL. Both elite crunch time performers. Still have bigs that can shoot in Bogi and Gallo. Two solid wing options in Bogi and Hunter. Plus some decent depth with Wright, Lou Will, Johnson and Deing.
I still don’t understand how Trae and Jon Collins don’t fit together.
I’m just going from the little games over seen if there’s. Most the time I watch Trae play he’s scoring off pull up jumpers, high pick and roll with Capela which leads to him throwing lobs and assists to Capela. Not much of his game involves Collins at all from what I’ve seen.
But as I said when the hawks beat us in the playoffs last year he and Gallo and Bogi were huge for them. Simmons and Mattise managed to stop Trae but we couldn’t match or stop the shooting from those guys. Seth was also a big factor, his lack of defence.
I just think for this hawks team to play to their potential and Trae to be successful they need someone else cause I don’t think Collins as the second best player is their guy.
Just as us Sixers this season, yeah we have been a top 4 team in the east all year with Tobias as our second best player. Yet we knew we weren’t a threat to actually win anything without the addition of someone which happened to be James Harden and now he’s our new number 2 and Harris can be the 3/4.
Hawks I don’t think ever achieve anything with Collins as their second best player. He’s simply just not good enough and I don’t think he’s a good fit your your best player.
Whereas if you traded him for Donovan Mitchell, I think a group of Trae Spida Hunter Bogi and Capela could do something. Hunter will continue to develop, Bogi is basically on par with Harris and Capela is the glue guy.
They could be a serious force to be reckoned with.
I also feel like MarJon Beauchamp would be perfect for the Hawks but I’m doubtful that he’ll still be available when we draft. I gotta definitely disagree about John & Trae not being a perfect fit or being overpaid. Those guys complement each other as well as any 2 players in the league offensively. John is even better in the picknroll/picknpop game with Trae than Clint. They’re definitely a much better fit than Trae & Spida would be. John & Spida are really good friends from before their rookie seasons & if he was to ever wanna leave Utah (longshot in the 1st place) to come play in ATL (even longer longshot) it would be to come play with John, not Trae. Those are 2 very ball dominant guards & it would be tough to keep em both happy. Only way I’d ever give up John is for an even better player at his position & there’s only 3 or 4 of those guys in the league, 2 of which (ADavis/Zion) have major health concerns. And John’s contract is very reasonable for his level of production/talent. I definitely think John is good enough for us to win a title with him as our 2nd best player. This guy is extremely talented offensively to a point that most ppl may not realize. He’s not just a 3 level scorer. He’s extremely efficient at all 3 levels. He’s also one of the hardest playing guys in the league, he’s a great locker room presence, he’s one of the most athletic/exciting players in the league & he’s a true Hawks success story (drafted him late 1st rd & he’s gotten better every yr). There’s a bunch of reasons to keep the boy… As far as Kevin Huerter I disagreed with the decision to extend him last summer. He’s struggled a bit this season & we definitely could’ve got him back on a much more team friendly deal if we would have waited until after this season. Also the decision to extend him basically pushed Cam Reddish out the door & I would have rather kept Cam instead of Kev. That being said Kev is still a really talented young wing & (much like Duncan Robinson) he’s gonna be one of the better shooters in the league again after he gets thru that new contract haze. Kev’s contract is very tradeable also & he could definitely be moved if/when it looks like he’s not the guy for us as a starting 2. Offensively this is one of the top5 teams in the league, probably top2 tbh. There’s a ridiculous amount of shooting in our rotation & we can outscore anyone especially when Trae is hot. Consistent team defense is our main problem tho. It’s what allows teams to walk us down when we have big leads & it’s what has kept us from building on the success we had last season. Replacing Gallo this off-season with a guy like Kyle Anderson/Thad/Covington would be a huge boost to our team d. Drafting Ochai Agbaji from Kansas or Jalen Duren from Memphis would be good options to improve our defense if Beauchamp is gone.
I just don’t see all that in Collins. Although I don’t watch as many games I just don’t see that. I know he can shot the outside jumper, pop in the mid range and finish at the rim, and that he is efficient. He’s got loads of potential but I don’t think he is a good enough second best player.
I think in today NBA you need two more star power. For example the Clippers have Kawhi and PG, Bucks have Giannas with Holiday and Middleton, Sixers have Harden and Embiid, a fully fit Nuggets team has Jokic plus Murray and MPJ, GSW has Curry plus Klay and Draymond.
You can’t say John Collins as your second best player is even close to other second options across the league like PG, Harden, Klay, AD or Murray.
Unless your going to follow in the footsteps of the Suns or Bucks, you then need Trae to become a top 5 player, have Collins improve to an all star level (like Booker and Middleton) and also find a third (Ayton and Holiday) aswell as have a great bench, really good coach and have no real holes in your teams game and also have some luck with injuries too.
In my little sample size of watching the hawks I think they have potential to really do something and I just think in order to not waste this opportunity I think they need to trade for a second star. Donovan Mitchell was just an example of who I think could be a good fit for a trade. But as I had said I thought DeRozan could’ve been worth going for in FA, Anthony Edwards was worth trading up for in the draft. Another option maybe is Jaylen Brown but I think Spida is a better fit.
Simmons you are losing me here…Collins may not be 2nd best player material but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good fit with Trae. I think they unlock a lot of things when they’re on the same page.
Spider on the other hand I don’t see being a great fit. The offense runs through Trae. Donovan is not a complement he plays on the ball. Too many cooks IMO.
If Levine played defense and wasn’t on one leg then I’d consider him. If were really pie in the sky I’d make a run at Ayton. He’d be nice w Trae and Collins too. Some type of all star center that does things Trae can’t. Spider is too similar.
I still can’t believe how cheap JC’s contract is!
A real bargain for the ATL, makes easier build the team around Ice Trae & himself… although they misfired by trading Cam & keeping Hunter, they need to do better, otherwise the are gonna waste JC’s loyalty discount!
Hawks are my pick to underachieve in the regular season but overachieve in the postseason (again).
Hawks do t scare anyone. For as good as Young is. And he’s not just a scorer. I don’t think his playmaking and ast get enough credit. He has no D. And in playoffs you can defend him. Hawks got no one else who will step up. All others play off the attention Trae draws. A guy like Ball can defend Trae enough.
Aye I’d love to see Lonzo & the Bulls in the playoffs. Trae had his way with Zo last season when they faced each other. I’m wondering what makes you think Trae is any more guardable in the postseason than he is in the regular season. Do you not remember how he completely destroyed NYK & their top rated defense last season or what he did in Philly & Milwaukee in gm1 of those series? There’s one guy that consistently gives Trae trouble with his on ball defense & that’s Ben Simmons. This is a major reason that I badly hope Brooklyn loses before we have to face them. Trae destroys anybody else tho, even great defenders like Jrue, Matisse, Smart, Zo or anybody else you can think of. Also you’re obv wrong when you say Hawks have no one else that can step up bc gm4 of the ECF they blew out the eventual champions with zero help from Trae (or Dre)
Simple math. Something you obviously don’t get. 7 gm series. Hawks have shown this yr. When their team is disrupted. They are not the same. With injuries and TD stories. They are not the unit they were last yr. Plus like I said it works off Trae.
Trae is a scorer. But a team like Bulls have enough bodies to throw at him. Plus what you really need to do is play him full court. Easier to do that in playoffs. Also easier to set up D for a player. Much like Hawks did Randle last yr. Now Trae is better not doubt. He got my respect. But you can hurt him on D. That’s what I’d do. Post him and take him to basket every time he tried to play D. And I do mean tried. Tell me another Hawk who can get his own shot in playoffs…… I’ll wait