John Collins’ Struggles with the Atlanta Hawks
John Collins, a key player for the Atlanta Hawks, signed a five-year, $125M deal in August 2021. At the time, the signing made sense as the Hawks had a young and promising roster, and had just come off a near NBA Finals appearance. However, Collins’ performance has been disappointing since then. In March 2022, he severely injured his pinky, which affected his performance in the playoffs. In the current season, he has continued to struggle, averaging only 12.9 PPG on 51% from the field and shooting 26% from the three.
Collins’ Contractual and Performance Issues
Collins’ struggles are not only affecting the Hawks’ performance on the court, but also their cap space. His 5-year, $125M deal is eating up a significant portion of the team’s budget, and he is not living up to that kind of deal. His trade value has also decreased, which is a concern for the Hawks. The team seems to be struggling with chemistry issues, and Collins’ performance is not helping the situation. With just a few weeks left in the season, the Hawks are likely to be a play-in team, and they are not ready to face off against the Bucks, Celtics, or 76ers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Importance of Efficiency and Free Throws
Collins’ struggles can be attributed to his lack of efficiency and decreased rebounding. In his best year statistically, he averaged 21.2 PPG and 10.1 RPG, shot 58% from the field and 40% from the three, and had an 80% free throw percentage. However, his current performance is not moving the needle for the Hawks, and he is not able to stretch the floor with an efficient three-point shooting. Observing how many free throws a player attempts per game is also a key statistic to look at when evaluating their performance. Collins’ struggles are staggering, and the Hawks need to address these issues if they want to improve their performance on the court.
Keywords: John Collins, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, playoffs, performance, efficiency, free throws, chemistry, cap space.
