Former Hawks Forward John Collins Talks About What it Will Be Like Coming Back to Play In Atlanta For First Time Since Trade

Collins was traded over the summer after spending the first part of his career with the Hawks

For six seasons, John Collins was a key piece for the Atlanta Hawks. Since being drafted in 2017, Collins found immediate success and was a great pick-and-roll partner for point guard Trae Young and was one of the Hawks's better defenders. He was arguably the second-best player on the team when the Hawks made their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but there was another thing that defined his tenure in Atlanta. 

That would be trade rumors. 

Even when Collins signed his contract extension, he was still in trade rumors every year leading up to the trade deadline and into the summer. In what should be seen as a salary dump move, the Hawks traded Collins to the Utah Jazz last summer for a second-round pick. 

Tonight, Collins makes his first return to Atlanta since being traded and after Utah's win on Sunday night vs the Spurs, Collins talked a little bit about what it will be like to come back to Atlanta for the first time: 

"I have not been trying to think about it too much, but obviously it has been on my mind, I am sort of anxious to get on the court with some familiar faces and go out there and compete, I am going to be ready to play that night."

“It has been on my mind, I’m sort of anxious to get out on the court and see all the familiar faces, and really go out there and compete. I’m going to be ready to play that night.” pic.twitter.com/PmjXKjY647

— Karce (@Karsonnnn) February 26, 2024

Today at the pre-game shootaround, Collins was asked about being a fan favorite in Atlanta and what the reception might be like for him: 

"I am going to love it, I am going to show love where it is shown to me and the city of Atlanta has done that big time for me so I love every single one of the fans that supported me and had my back through my time here, much love to them, to all of the fans in the A and try to continue to put on a show for them wherever I am."

I asked John Collins about being one of the fan favorites in Atlanta and anticipating the reception from the fans tonight in his return:

“Much love to them, to all the fans here in the A.” pic.twitter.com/UFrXPGamNX

— JJ (@JameelahJNBA) February 27, 2024

Coming into this game, Atlanta is 4th in PPG, 23rd in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 20th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 12th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 9th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 8th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding rate, and 8th in free throw rate.

The Hawks played one of the top defensive teams in the NBA on Sunday, but that is not what they are going to be facing tonight.

 Utah is 25th in PPG allowed, 21st in field goal percentage allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Jazz are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 23rd in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Feb 15, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) shoots past Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports / Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

On offense though, the Jazz are going to present problems for the Hawks. Utah is 9th in PPG, 19th in field goal percentage, 9th in three-point attempts, 23rd in three-point percentage, 11th in free throw attempts, 3rd in offensive rebounding, and 30th in turnovers.

Markkanen is the All-Star of this team and he is having another fantastic season, averaging close to 24 PPG and 8 RPG. Collin Sexton has been the forgotten guy on the Jazz, but he is quietly having a very good season, averaging 17.8 PPG on 49% shooting. Murray is likely going to be guarding Sexton tonight and he will need to make sure he does not get hot. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson is the guy the Hawks need to worry about. Clarkson is averaging 17 PPG and 5 APG this season off the bench on 42% shooting.

Defensively, the numbers are pretty ugly for the Hawks. They are 29th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 28th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

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