Following the bad news that Trae Young was dipping out of Team USA activities due to an eye infection, that pares down the Atlanta Hawks representation at Team USA to only one man: John Collins.
Collins produced a near 20-point/10-rebound campaign in his second season in the NBA. Beyond that, he showed widespread improvement in all manner of on-court abilities.
While his defense was still left wanting, he did noticeably improve on that end as the season wound down – promising signs for the 21-year-old.
Young pulling out of Team USA was truly poor timing, as two of the likely point guards on the team, Marcus Smart and Kyle Lowry, will almost certainly miss the FIBA World Cup due to injuries (according to reporting from NBA.