NBA: 10 most underrated performers of the season so far
By Nate Friesen
8. John Collins
After serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program, John Collins has returned and is playing the best basketball of his young career. Collins is currently averaging 21.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game on shooting splits of .579/.406/.810. These are all career highs for Collins and if he hadn’t been suspended for 25 games he would have had a serious case to make the All-Star team in the Eastern Conference.
The Atlanta Hawks have a net rating of -7.7 this season, according to NBA.com, however, Collins has a net rating of -5.5 this season which indicates that the Hawks are an entire 2.2 points better when Collins is on the floor. John Collins is also a tremendous complement to the Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young. Collins and Young have one of the most lethal pick-and-roll combinations in the league and could be a promising duo for years to come.
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As mentioned above Collins is shooting a career-high 40.6 percent on 3.6 attempts per game from behind the three-point line this season. This is an incredible improvement for a guy who shot just 0.6 threes per game in his rookie season.
Collins has certainly not gotten the recognition he deserves this season, mostly as a result of being on a bad Hawks team, but that all could change if he and Trae Young continue to improve together over the next couple of years.