The Atlanta Hawks received a brutal wake-up call in Game 1 against the Miami Heat. They were down as much as 32 points in their NBA playoffs opener, losing 115-91. Simply put, it was not the way they wanted to start the 2022 NBA playoffs.

Although the Hawks got beat badly by the top-seeded Heat, they got one good thing out of today. John Collins made his return to the court for the first time since Match 11. After being sidelined for over a month due to foot and finger injuries, he scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting and tallied four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 21 minutes off the bench.

After the game, Collins said that he feels better than expected. He also admitted that he might not be close to feeling his best soon. Even if he doesn't get back to full health, the Hawks should admire his willingness to play and use him off the bench.

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The Hawks need Collins badly after losing Cling Capela to a knee injury. The frontcourt would have been unbearably thin behind Onyeka Okungwu and Danilo Gallinari. Having a reliable scorer behind them will help the Hawks stay in it, though it likely won't be enough to take down the Heat across the whole series.

Collins is about to begin a lengthy contract extension with the Hawks. Showing his willingness to play through pain shows his dedication to the team and how badly he wants to win.