Atlanta Hawks: 2018-19 player grades for John Collins

Negatives

No matter what other skills an NBA player has, one question will always separate the very good players from the great ones: Can you create your own shot off the dribble?

Obviously, shot creation isn’t the only determinant of greatness (see: Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, and a litany of other high-volume shooters that offered little else) but in crunch time, it’s an important trait to have.

It’s this area where John Collins falls short. Only 0.8 of Collins’ shot attempts came following at least three dribbles and while that illustrates him as a player who functions well within his comfort zone, he risks painting himself into a corner with his limited skill set.

To be fair, Collins gave the Hawks some reliable scoring out of the post — his 1.01 PPP on post-ups put him in the 70th percentile — but at only 1.8 possessions per game, it was clear that the Atlanta Hawks didn’t see him as the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon, nor should they have.

While he occasionally flashes some skills on the block, as you’ll see in the video below, it’s clear that he feels more at home as a rim roller.

Hopefully, Collins will continue to refine his on-ball attributes. Until then, there will always be a cap on his potential, as he won’t always get to subsist on lobs and slashes to the basket, no matter how good the spacing is.

Oh, and the less said about his Dunk Contest performance, the better.