Atlanta Hawks: 2017-18 player grades for John Collins

Final grade

With all the buzz surrounding Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell (and rightfully so), Collins quietly had a nice rookie season. There are still some things he needs to work on — like his shooting — but he definitely looks like a pivotal piece of this Atlanta team moving forward.

Some NBA centers are guys that can protect the rim and get most of their points as a garbage man under the basket. Some of them can run the pick-and-pop with a guard and knock down an open 3 And then some are like Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns. and they can do all of those things and get buckets in the post game.

Collins may never become a refined post player, but he can certainly become a good shooter that keeps defenses honest. This would then allow him to use his tremendous athleticism to posterize people in the paint.

This young man has tremendous upside. At the very worst, he will develop into a poor man’s version of DeAndre Jordan. He can be effective as an athletic big who protects the paint and finishes around the rim.

However, I think that Collins can become a more versatile offensive player. We have already seen moments of what he could be this year. He’s only going to get better from here, which should leave Hawks fans excited for the future.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

Grade: C+