Welcome to ATL John Collins!

[Jamaaliver]

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#5 John Collins -- Forward
ATLANTA HAWKS

Stats this week: 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals

Collins re-enters the rankings with a fury this week, posting a huge week despite three Atlanta losses. The bouncy 6-10 stat machine didn't disappoint after a bump in minutes, as he shot a remarkable 83 percent from the floor in nearly 33 minutes per game this week. In his first start of the year against the Clippers, Collins filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in 38 minutes. If he can defend at a decent level, Collins could permanently make his way into the Hawks' starting lineup.

If he remains a starter, Collins should put up enough production to contend for All Rookie honors.

[jayu70]

Keep.working John Jam

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[Jamaaliver]

JC Kid is now being canonized...oh, boy.

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Collins is no household name in the NBA, but he has been outstanding in his short campaign for the Hawks

...one of the league’s best rookies has been playing well under the radar for the Atlanta Hawks.

One area where Collins sticks out among his fellow rookies is offensive rebounding, where he ranks first with 57 offensive boards grabbed this season, 12 more than second-ranked Simmons. Among rookies who average 10 minutes per game, Collins ranks first in offensive rebounding percentage. Collins also does a very good job at following his teammates’ misses out of the pick-and-roll when he is the roll man. The Wake Forest product has also proven to be a reliable finisher in the restricted area, where he has attempted 74 percent of his shots. Because of his finishing ability around the rim, Collins excels as the roll man in the pick-and-roll, often finishing his rolls to the rim with ferocious dunks.

Collins also has soft and sturdy hands and can catch alley-oops with the best of them. He has only failed to convert on one alley-oop so far this season. The rookie knows exactly where to position himself out of the pick-and-roll for the easy oop at the rim.

It’s still early in the season, but Collins recently earned the starting power forward spot for the Atlanta Hawks and is shaping up to be one of the steals of the loaded 2017 NBA Draft. He already has NBA athleticism and rebounding abilities, and has shown flashes of a legitimate jump shot that could eventually extend out to the three-point line. Collins is just 20 years old and will continue to grow on the Hawks, who have no chances of making the playoffs even in a weaker Eastern Conference. The team would be best suited to focus on developing the young talent it has acquired over the past few years.

[Jamaaliver]

The hype train continues:

Hawks: John Collins’ efficiency, production among best ever for rookies

Hawks center John Collins has been one of the most efficient and productive rookies in the NBA. This was true early in the season, it still held after 15 games and it’s still the case now.

Among first-year players to play at least 20 minutes per game, Collins ranks first in five statistical categories (per Basketball-Reference):

effective field-goal percentage
rebounding percentage
rebounds per 36 minutes
blocks percentage
and blocks per 36 minutes.

If Collins keeps it up, some of his statistics will end up comparing favorably to every rookie that’s ever played in the league. Obviously, Collins’ numbers require context, most of all the small sample size of 20 games.

Collins so far has a better effective field-goal percentage than Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Arvydas Sabonis, James Worthy, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson did as rookies.

His rebounding percentage is better than the rookie years of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis.

Collins is a good rookie right now and (barring injury) he will have a very good rookie season. Collins’ offensive efficiency likely will decline as opponents better account for his assault on the rim. But Collins probably always will be a good rebounder because of his springy athleticism and relentless activity around the basket.

myAJC

[macd-gm]

The hype train continues:

Hawks: John Collins’ efficiency, production among best ever for rookies

Hawks center John Collins has been one of the most efficient and productive rookies in the NBA. This was true early in the season, it still held after 15 games and it’s still the case now.

Among first-year players to play at least 20 minutes per game, Collins ranks first in five statistical categories (per Basketball-Reference):

effective field-goal percentage
rebounding percentage
rebounds per 36 minutes
blocks percentage
and blocks per 36 minutes.

If Collins keeps it up, some of his statistics will end up comparing favorably to every rookie that’s ever played in the league. Obviously, Collins’ numbers require context, most of all the small sample size of 20 games.

Collins so far has a better effective field-goal percentage than Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Arvydas Sabonis, James Worthy, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson did as rookies.

His rebounding percentage is better than the rookie years of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis.

Collins is a good rookie right now and (barring injury) he will have a very good rookie season. Collins’ offensive efficiency likely will decline as opponents better account for his assault on the rim. But Collins probably always will be a good rebounder because of his springy athleticism and relentless activity around the basket.

myAJC

I thought that too early on but the nba is full of guys who don't have the ability or will to stop JC's assault on the rim.

[Jamaaliver]

Collins’ offensive efficiency likely will decline as opponents better account for his assault on the rim.

myAJC

I thought that too early on but the nba is full of guys who don't have the ability or will to stop JC's assault on the rim.

Collins is going to start getting the 'Blake Griffin treatment' from defenders after a while:

[Jamaaliver]

Best Team-Rookie Pairings from Early NBA Season

John Collins and Atlanta Hawks

For NBA teams, it's rare that the best player available also fills a major positional need.

Third among rookies in player efficiency rating so far this season, John Collins has at least put himself in the mix for the top prospect picked No. 19 on down. And with an underwhelming Atlanta Hawks frontcourt, Collins has had a clear path to the floor and starting lineup.

Tied for No. 13 in the NBA in pick-and-roll possessions per game, he's getting the chance to play through mistakes and receive valuable early reps.

Despite lacking both shot-creating skills and high-level talent around him, Collins still leads all qualified rookies in field-goal percentage (58.1). The game will only become easier for him once the Hawks improve their roster and Collins sharpens his offense and defensive IQ. That's something he'll have a good opportunity to do with plenty of available playing time.

[kg01]

myAJC

I thought that too early on but the nba is full of guys who don't have the ability or will to stop JC's assault on the rim.

Collins is going to start getting the 'Blake Griffin treatment' from defenders after a while:

Nah, Griffin got that treatment because he was a floppy turd earlier in his career.

[Jamaaliver]

Young Players Making a Bid for a Dunk Contest Invite

John Collins

Another rookie, John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, did so much damage on the rims at the Las Vegas Summer League that the NBA cut a highlight reel of just his dunks.

Collins is bouncy. Maybe bouncier than most realized he'd be coming out of Wake Forest. And that athletic ability is translating into some big numbers for Atlanta.

Among rookies who qualified for the minutes leaderboard, Arvydas Sabonis, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Robert Parish are the only ones who matched or exceeded Collins' points (18), rebounds (11.1), blocks (1.3) and steals (one) per 36 minutes. And Collins leads that bunch in field goal percentage, per Basketball Reference.

Bleacher Report


Another entry on his resume:

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[jayu70]

I'm ok with him declining the dunk contest. Tall players get no love in the dunk contest.

[MaceCase]

I'm ok with him declining the dunk contest. Tall players get no love in the dunk contest.

Well, I think there's 3 champions over 6'8" that all played for the Hawks*














*at some point

[macd-gm]

I'm ok with him declining the dunk contest. Tall players get no love in the dunk contest.

Well, I think there's 3 champions over 6'8" that all played for the Hawks*














*at some point

Intriguing. Are you counting nique as over 6'8"? I don't think he is and certainly not a big man.

[MaceCase]

I'm ok with him declining the dunk contest. Tall players get no love in the dunk contest.

Well, I think there's 3 champions over 6'8" that all played for the Hawks*














*at some point

Intriguing. Are you counting nique as over 6'8"? I don't think he is and certainly not a big man.

Well Jay specified height not position and Nique was listed at 6'8", Smoove at 6'9" and Dwight at 6'11". So Collins fits in at 6'10".

[macd-gm]

Collins could do some interesting dunks by doing them from a near stand still. I wouldn't mind seeing it.

[MaceCase]

Collins could do some interesting dunks by doing them from a near stand still. I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Well don't tell Jay that. She can root for a 13 win team but won't be able to show her face at PTA meetings if a Hawks loses the dunk contest.

[Spud2nique]

Collins..Bell..Dennis Smith jr...put them all in..heck the NBA should require rookies that have a vertical of 38 and above to have to participate...

It's like the bringing donuts treatment...kinda

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks’ Collins doesn’t have to score to contribute

Two games after coming back from a shoulder injury, the former Wake Forest star had just two points in Friday’s 96-94 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. This after scoring 15 points off the bench in a 105-91 home loss to Detroit Thursday.

In 23 minutes, Collins cleared seven rebounds, dished out four assists, had two steals and four blocked shots.

“That’s part of the growing process,” Collins said. “You’ve got figure out what you have to try do what’s best for the whole team on any given night.”

That he’s doing it through a 6-23 start by his team this season is just another sign that he’s special, coach Mike Budenholzer said.

“His work ethic, focus, energy and positive approach shows up every day,” Budenholzer said. “I think he comes by it naturally, and it’s a real gift.”

myAJC

Can John Collins be more than a dunker and rebounder on the offensive end ?

While Collins should have a very bright future in a Hawks uniform, a question that [remains to be seen] is whether he can be more than a strong, complementary player on the offensive end.

We could argue that Collins is already more than a complementary player on the offensive end. He leads the team in PER and his per-36 numbers are among the team’s best. What is remarkable is that he has achieved this by purely being a receiver in the Hawks offense, mostly from catching and finishing around the rim and by creating opportunities for himself on the offensive boards.

If Collins is to become an elite player on offense, he will have to be more than a receiver of the offensive action. He’ll need to be a guy who can makes things happen with ball. He does not have to become a point forward, but he does need to be a consistent shooter from the perimeter and he needs to be able to score one on one against post defenders.

Ultimately, if he could also create shots for himself off the dribble, he could become an elite offensive player, but he has much ground to cover before he approaches that level.

It will be interesting to see if the team integrates some post play for Collins into the offense at some point.

On the defensive end, Collins has made tremendous strides. He just has to cut down on his fouls.

If the Hawks are to progress towards winning over the next 2-3 seasons, the progress Collins makes this season is very important.

Peach Tree Hoops

[Jamaaliver]

J-Collins had a nice game last night.

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But Budenholzer still sees room for improvement from the JC Kid:

...the Pacers were a step slow trying to keep Collins away from the rim and, as a result, he earned six free-throw attempts and scored 18 points on seven shots. But Collins also had four turnovers with zero assists.

At the other end, John Collins had trouble handling Turner’s length – after a rough stretch late in the first quarter, Budenholzer sent Miles Plumlee back in for the assignment.

Budenholzer: “John does have moments where he makes plays that are promising, and then there are moments where we need to work with him and develop him: timing on boards and screens and different situations where he’s part of it. We are all in this–coaches, players. We’ve got to be better for 48 minutes and John is not any different.”

myAJC


The young man is naturally talented, but still very raw. But, he'll be much better at age 23 than he is even now.

That's an exciting prospect.

[Jamaaliver]

ESPN: Hawks’ John Collins is fifth-best rookie

Hawks rookie John Collins wasn’t a lottery pick and he’s playing 22.9 minutes per game for the team with the worst record in the NBA. Those factors mean Collins typically isn’t included among the national discussions about the league’s top rookies but ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton includes Collins among his first rookie rankings (Insider).

Pelton ranks Collins No. 5 behind Ben Simmons (Sixers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) and OG Anunoby (Raptors). Simmons, Tatum and Mitchell were lottery picks, while Anunoby was selected four spots behind Collins, the No. 19 overall pick.

Why Collins ranks fifth:

Quietly, he’s averaging 17.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes while making an even 60 percent of his 2-point attempts. With those high-percentage finishes, Collins’ 54.4 percent shooting as a roll man in the pick-and-roll ranks seventh among players with at least 50 such attempts.

myAJC

[Spud2nique]

Under Over, 16.0ppg for Collins in his rookie year?

Absolutely under...I'm thinking around 10-12ppg.

At 11.5ppg currently and 7.1 boards... love our youth!!!