2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 5 power rankings
9. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
Last week: N/A
Atlanta Hawks rookie forward John Collins finds himself back in the Rookie of the Year top 10 rankings after a bit of a hiatus. Collins continues to give fans a glimpse of the future with his athletic play.
The 6’10” rookie is averaging 10.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game for the Hawks, who are only 3-12 so far in 2017-18. Collins and company recently snapped a four-game losing streak with a big victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Some big-time teamwork between these two (with John Collins playing PF?) #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/GDEQj3RDoR
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) November 16, 2017
The Hawks won 126-80, their largest margin of victory in franchise history. Collins had a number of ferocious dunks in that game as Atlanta opened a 40-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. He put up 14 points and eight rebounds in Atlanta’s third victory of the season.
Despite their record, the Hawks looked like a sharpshooting squad that night, shooting 63.3 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the 3-point line.
We’ll see how they hold up against the No. 1 defense in the NBA when they face the Boston Celtics.