career,” says Collins, who had 12 games with at least 20 points
between his November 17 return and New Year’s Day. “For
me to have [an injury] at this level is a little nerve-wrecking.
Getting hurt the way I did, before the season started, and having
to come back during the middle of the season when guys are
starting to catch their rhythm made me question myself a little
bit. But just the way I came back and played let me know I’m
right on track.”
The good times rolled into January (20 and 9 averages for
the month). February’s numbers (19.9 and 8.4) were only a
pinch less impressive. He was an easy call for the USA squad
in All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars game, where he was paired
with the two other sophomores, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, with whom he started to be bunched
with in the “Best Second-Year Player” debate.
“I listen to [the chatter],” Collins says of the comparisons
to Tatum and Mitchell, who were drafted No. 3 and 13,
respectively, in 2017. “It’s sort of inevitable. But I feel like this
is where I’m supposed to be. My name is being put up there
with guys who went way higher than I did [in the draft]. I’m
going late in the first round. Now guys are talking about I’m top
five, top three. I worked for it. I’m going to keep playing the
way I’m playing.”
Of course, the most glaring difference between Collins and
the other two budding stars is that they advanced to the post-
season while the Hawks went fishin’.
“In that league,” says Childress, coming to Collins’ defense,
“to truly maximize your greatness, you need other great playerswith you. Let’s just call it what it is. As good as John is playing,
no one will really give him the kind of credit that we’re talking
about right now until we’re talking about the Atlanta Hawks
being one of those [great] teams.”
But no matter what the Hawks do in the upcoming draft or
pending free-agency to improve as a franchise, Collins knows
he’s got some personal things to handle. Sure, he averaged 19.4
points, 9.7 rebounds and at least one thunderous jam for the
year, but Collins also had one of the worst defensive ratings in
the NBA. He only shot 34 percent from deep. He turned the ball
over nearly twice a contest.
“Me getting over possessions [has been huge for my prog-
ress],” says Collins. “I feel like my rookie year I was so focused
on every mistake I made. Now, it’s sort of a different mindset
and knowing that I’m going to mess up. You gotta move on. That
next-play mentality is something that was big for me. It helped
me slow down the game.”
With things slowing for him, and Trae Young and Kevin
Huerter in Atlanta’s tight young core, brighter days might be
ahead. “He’s definitely someone that city can wrap themselves
around,” says Childress. “He has that kind of personality. I
expect big things in the future.”
Before the coach hangs up, he informs that he’ll happily get
on another call if anything else needed. In this line of business,
that’s not typically how things work. Usually when an interview
is over, so too is your interaction with that person. But not this
time. Not for this story.
CASSY ATHENA/GETTY IMAGES OK, we get it. Anything for John Collins. S
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