After a debut season in which he earned second team All-Rookie honors, expectations were lofty for John Collins as his sophomore campaign arrived with the Atlanta Hawks. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft impressed at a high level while making a strong first impression and, after a thoroughly dominant (and brief) Summer League appearance, many projected a big-time leap for Collins.
However, the 6’10 big man encountered resistance in the early going, as a (badly) sprained ankle forced Collins to the bench for the first 15 games of the 2018-19 campaign.