Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons why John Collins was a good draft pick

Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons John Collins was a good pick

Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; John Collins (Wake Forest) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number nineteen overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jan 28, 2017; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward John Collins (20) goes up for a shot against the Duke Blue Devils in the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Ability to improve

Twelve months ago, John Collins wasn’t on the Atlanta Hawks’ radar, or any other NBA franchise following his freshman season in college.

Collins joined Wake Forest as a three-star recruit and wasn’t ranked among the top 75 potential NBA Draft picks in college basketball until his fantastic 2016-17 outing. His own team wasn’t even sure what to make of him, as Collins was in the starting lineup just once.

The 6’10” forward transformed from an afterthought into one of the most potent scoring forces in college basketball.

As a sophomore, Collins managed to more than double his scoring, rebounding and shot block averages while increasing his field goal percentage by 7.7 percent. After failing to post a double-double during his debut season with Wake Forest, he tallied 17 last year.

The rapid progress earned a selection to the first-team All-ACC, the Most Improved Player in the conference and he was runner-up to North Carolina’s Justin Jackson for ACC Player of the Year.

Atlanta is hoping Collins experiences a similar jump in productivity throughout his NBA career and believes he can continue his improvement.

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