The frustrations of losing have hit Atlanta Hawks talented big man John Collins pretty hard.
Collins is in his third season in the NBA and hasn’t been on a Hawks team which has won 30 games in a season. Atlanta is once again going to finish with one of the worst records in the NBA this season.
Collins missed the first 25 games of the season because of his PED suspension. The talented forward says losing almost every night is very tough to handle:
“Not to make it a sob story, but coming from a player who has already been on two rebuilding teams and now in my third year on a rebuilding team, it’s like what more can I say of how tired I am?” Collins told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
“I would just be playing the violin. It’s frustrating and difficult to go out there every night as an underdog, knowing you’re probably going to lose, knowing you still have to play hard and prove yourself to your teammates, coaches and higher-ups that you’re still valuable.
“It’s hard to do it every night because people don’t think there’s pressure playing on losing teams. It’s like people think, ‘Oh, you’re playing losing basketball. Your possessions don’t matter.’ I feel like they matter even more because that’s when they’re truly watching if you’re developing or not.”
The Hawks are 19-46 on the season. They currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta head coach Lloyd Pierce has already said the goal for next season is to make the playoffs. The Hawks haven't made the postseason since 2017.
Collins has appeared in 39 games for the Hawks this season. The 22-year-old is averaging 21.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 58.0 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from beyond the arc and 81.9 percent from the free-throw line.
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