Monday evening, The Athletic evoked the frustration of John Collins within the Hawks. Inside was visibly unhappy with his role and any criticisms he might voice in the dressing room didn’t seem to be heard by his teammates.
Two days later, our colleagues opened their columns to the player so that he explains himself and confirms or not the information published. So, is he genuinely frustrated with his situation in Atlanta?
“Yes, of course I am”, he says. “We are not well. So the reporter is right, but I haven’t spoken openly or directly expressed my frustration to my teammates. So obviously I’m frustrated like anyone else in the team, because we’re losing and not playing as well as we should. “
“I don’t like running around. I want to understand where I can bring the most, instead of having to create it by and for myself”
As for his place in the attack of the Hawks, very successful this season despite the disappointing results of the franchise, it is not clearly defined, which bothers him. Neither Lloyd Pierce nor Nate McMillan wanted to put systems in place for him in recent years.
” I do not like it “, confirms the player on this last observation. “I know my value, my role in this team and I feel like I accept it without complaining. I persevered and did what was necessary for the team. The rest are coach or franchise decisions. I don’t like it, but I’m doing my best anyway. I simply want to be used as well as possible with my qualities. I am aware that we have a lot of scorers in the group, and I understand that we have to make sacrifices. “
As no system is in place for him, John Collins must fend for himself to score points. He would like to have a better defined framework to shine and evolve within the Hawks.
“I don’t touch the ball very much this season, but I’m not here to complain about that and ask for more balls, points or shots. I’m just trying to get my point across on the pitch. I don’t like running around. I want to understand where I can bring the most, instead of having to create it by and for myself. I have the feeling of being there very often. I have to create from nothing and it’s very hard. I would like to have something safe for the tougher times. And when I say that, I think it can benefit everyone, not just me. I just want to be put in the best possible position to succeed. “
| John collins | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | ATL | 74 | 24 | 57.6 | 34.0 | 71.5 | 2.4 | 4.9 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 10.5 |
| 2018-19 | ATL | 61 | 30 | 56.0 | 34.8 | 76.3 | 3.6 | 6.2 | 9.8 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 19.5 |
| 2019-20 | ATL | 41 | 33 | 58.3 | 40.1 | 80.0 | 2.8 | 7.3 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 21.6 |
| 2020-21 | ATL | 63 | 29 | 55.6 | 39.9 | 83.3 | 1.9 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 17.6 |
| 2021-22 | ATL | 34 | 33 | 54.1 | 42.7 | 79.4 | 1.9 | 6.0 | 7.9 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 17.5 |
| Total | 273 | 29 | 56.4 | 38.8 | 77.9 | 2.5 | 5.8 | 8.4 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 16.7 | |
