No. 1 – John Collins is the bully version of a unicorn
The Atlanta Hawks stole John Collins in the 2017 NBA Draft, picking him at no. 19, and the rest seems to be history with this underrated behemoth of a power forward.
Collins is on his way this season to win Most Improved Player of the Year (unless J-Rich blows up more), look at these past two seasons in regard to improvement:
2017-18 stats: 10.5 PPG, 7.3 TRB, 1.3 AST, with shooting splits of 57.6/34.0/71.5.
2018-19 stats: 18.5 PPG, 10.2 TRB, 2.5 AST, with shooting splits of 57.2/30.2/69.5.
The drastic jump in points and assists makes Collins a candidate for the MIP award, but it’s the small things he’s doing that are going unnoticed.
Even with Collins’ having an increase in turnovers this season, he’s also seeing an improvement in his assist numbers, and even though they both counteract one another, it’s a great sign that the big man is trying to differentiate his game.
And it’s not only assists, Collins’ is attempting to transform his big man game into a stretch four style as well, a lot like a Blake Griffin or Draymond Green. Collins’ percentage from the 3-point line may be down this season, but that’s because he’s taking more 3’s per game (0.6 in ’17-18 and 2.4 in ’18-19).
Moreover, the production keeps increasing throughout the regular season. Over the past ten games, Collins is averaging 19.7 PPG, 11.3 TRB, 2.7 AST, and shooting 59 percent from the field and a startling 39 percent from downtown.
The Heat have to try and slow down the workhorse that is John Collins, or else they’ll be in big trouble.
James Johnson, you may have your hands full on the defensive end for most of this game, as the Hawks were without Collins in their win against the Heat earlier this year.
Our next factor has more to do with the future backcourt battle of the East.