Though he had a solid rookie season, Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins is still looking to improve his game in several areas, including defensive reads and perimeter shooting. The former Wake Forest Demon Decon said as much in a recent interview with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Looking at new reads,” Collins told Vivlamore. “Being able to read new plays. Shooting the three. Maybe drive and kick. Drive and get to the cup. Just being versatile. Being able to guard multiple positions on defense. Basically, be a mismatch problem and have coach give the confidence and say ‘Yo, whatever the lineup is, whatever the game plans is, we keep John in and involved in the game.’ That’s my goal.”
Collins spent a fair amount of time abroad this offseason. The 20-year-old took trips to South Africa and London as part of NBA events. Now, with a new season on the horizon, it seems he's focused on improvement.
In 74 appearances with the Hawks last season, Collins racked up averages of 10.5 points on 57.6 percent shooting from the field (34.0 percent from beyond the arc), 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 24.1 minutes per outing.
Collins' 3-ball has come a long way. In two seasons at Wake Forest, he attempted just one 3-pointer, which was a miss. In his rookie season with the Hawks, he made 16 of his 47 attempts from downtown. The progress in his stroke is evident.
“I think it’s paying off,” Collins said. “I’m going to have confidence shooting my shot.”
The Hawks have several talented young players on their roster, including three first-round picks. They may lose a lot of games, but they have a solid foundation for the future.
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