Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons John Collins was a good pick
Facing the possibility of a massive rebuilding effort, the first piece the Atlanta Hawks added in the 2017 NBA Draft was power forward John Collins.
Numerous times prior to his first NBA Draft as general manager, Travis Schlenk stated he would take the most talented player available to the Atlanta Hawks, rather than draft out of need.
Neither Schlenk nor a slew of mock drafts anticipated Wake Forest power forward John Collins to be available with the 19th pick.
With Collins still on the board, Schlenk turned down several opportunities to trade down and decided to bring in the 19-year-old as an insurance policy, in case Paul Millsap decides to sign with another team in free agency.
Collins was named the Most Improved Player in the ACC last season, as he became one of the most unstoppable offensive players in the NCAA, averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game on 62.2 percent shooting from the field.
The gaudy statistics propelled Collins from an unheralded NBA prospect following his debut season in college to a possible lottery selection after his sophomore campaign.
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Monday night, Milwaukee’s Malcom Brogdon became the first player selected outside of the lottery to win Rookie of the Year honors since Mark Jackson, the 18th overall pick in 1987.
Atlanta is hoping Collins can make it two consecutive seasons.
The skill-set of Collins, coupled with a Hawks team that may have several spots to fill in the frontcourt could lead to plenty of chances to produce lofty scoring and rebounding totals during his debut season in Atlanta.
Collins may have some work ahead of him if he plans to beat out Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and the other premier players in his draft class, but he was certainly the right choice for Atlanta. Here are the five main reasons why.