Not particularly on the legs for this first quarter of the season, John Collins will have to go through the infirmary box: sprained left ankle, and Trae Young’s boyfriend will have to watch the Falcons from the bench for at least two weeks.
It’s sad to say, but not sure that this absence… doesn’t impact the Hawks so much.
Atlanta is however making a more than satisfactory start to the season, with 12 wins for 10 losses, currently occupying 5th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks were notably the first to triumph over the Bucks this season. If the Trae Young – Dejounte Murray duo works wonderfully, Collins brings less for the moment. Released with an injury during the game in Orlando on Wednesday night, the power forward has since had an MRI which revealed a sprained ankle.
Hawks’ John Collins is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks due to his left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Collins suffered the injury Wednesday night and tests today confirmed the sprain.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2022
With John Collins out for a minimum of two weeks, coach Nate McMillan will have to make a choice as to who will take the Dunkin’ Deacon’s place in the starting lineup. The most likely pick could be Jalen Johnson, the Hawks’ sophomore selected with the 20th draft pick in 2021. However, the former Duke player is only playing just over 13 minutes per game this season and no did not participate in the last two meetings. McMillan’s confidence could also turn to rookie AJ Griffin, also out of Duke and author of a good start to his career, including a career-high of 24 points in the victory over the Bucks. The last option? Jarrett Culver, returned from beyond the grave, who played 30 minutes in the last game and grabbed 12 rebounds. But we grant you, it’s less sexy when you think about it. This season, John Collins had played 22 games for the Hawks, for averages of 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds with great difficulty at a distance in particular (22% at 3 points). A clear regression with respect to its real level, since Collins posted averages of 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds at 37.9% of the parking lot over the last four seasons. Two weeks to get your ankle back… and your head straight?
Source : RealGM