Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins is one name to keep an eye on this offseason. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, a couple of teams could be interesting landing destinations for Collins in the off season. After all, the forward did turn down an extension worth $90 Million earlier this year, probably hoping to score as an unrestricted free agent this off season. Charania said that one team that’s courting Collins is the Miami Heat.
After making it to the finals last October, the Heat were surprisingly swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of this season’s playoffs. It was a tough exit for Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and company but this just means drastic changes should happen in their roster in order for them to compete in the Eastern Conference.
Should the Heat go hard in pursuing John Collins? 👀 pic.twitter.com/JG8WqpnHSZ
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCP) July 13, 2021
That said, Collins can be a good fit under Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra’s system. He’s a forward that can put up 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He won’t have to be the Batman for the Heat but rather the bridge between its main superstars and the role players. Here are three reasons why the Heat need to sign Collins:
Collins can be their reliable third option
The Heat made a mistake of not signing Jae Crowder in the off season and now look, Crowder is in the Finals with the Suns while the Heat are in Cancun. Not saying that Crowder is a star player but he’s a difference maker and part of the reason why the Heat made a run in the bubble. He was able to stretch the floor and was a perfect fit to Spoelstra’s system.
Collins can provide the same. Although he isn’t as efficient as Crowder from deep, the 6’9 forward is still a reliable option especially if the Heat need buckets. Butler isn’t always making his shots, Adebayo still has his offensive struggles from time to time so Collins can be another scoring option for the Heat.
Collins can provide versatility especially on defense
Collins stretches the floor and can guard 1 through 5 which improves both the Heat’s offense and defense. Collins’ versatility is what boosts the Hawks offense because of what he can do. The best part about Collins to the Heat is that he’ll be paired with fellow defensive minded players like Adebayo and Butler. These three together can be a defensive nightmare for teams around the league.
Collins is a pick-and-roll threat
Collins can roll to the basket out of a pick and roll and be a lob threat for the Heat. It’s easy to trust a genius like Spoelstra and his staff to put Collins in plays where he could succeed. The pick-and-roll is a great play to run with Butler or even the Heats’ guards like Herro, Robinson and Dragic (that is of course, if they re-sign them). Aside from finishing at the rim, Collins can shoot as well and as mentioned above, provide spacing which can really spark the Heat’s offense—something they badly needed versus the Bucks in the playoffs.
Ultimately, the Collins to the Heat situation will depend on the money he’s looking for. If Colins wants to bet on himself and ask for 90 Million then the Heat’s chances would seem bleak especially if they want to keep Robinson, Dragic, Andre Iguodala and extend Butler’s contract. It’s going to be interesting to see where Collins goes but if he does choose South Beach then that would be huge for the Heat.
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