- John Collins was traded by the Hawks to the Jazz this offseason
- Collins says he is surprised by the lack of ego on his new team
- He also seemed to indicate that his former teammates didn’t emphasize team basketball
John Collins certainly does not seem to have a lot of love for his former teammates on the Atlanta Hawks. On media day as now a member of the Utah Jazz, Collins expressed his joy at getting to play with his new group of teammates.
“I’d say the one thing that has surprised me is the lack of ego here. It’s refreshing to have a group of guys that truly emphasize playing team basketball and that want to do so.”
"I’d say the one thing that has surprised me is the lack of ego here. It’s refreshing to have a group of guys that truly emphasize playing team basketball and that want to do so." 👀
– John Collins on joining Utah
(Via @andyblarsen ) pic.twitter.com/zu2DPhIUiD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2023
He all but said there, that there was an ego problem in Atlanta and that the players didn’t emphasize playing team basketball. There is one man, in particular, who immediately comes to mind when Collins says it, and that’s, unfortunately, Trae Young.
There have been a lot of questions raised regarding Trae over the last year or so. He had clashed with former head coach Nate McMillan, and it was reported that Young is not loved in Atlanta. There is apparently a serious disconnect between him and almost all of his teammates.
It might be why the Hawks have really disappointed in the last two seasons. They made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, but have failed to even win a playoff series after that. In the 2022-23 season, they went 41-41 and then lost in the first round to the Boston Celtics in six games.
John Collins Took A Shot At The Hawks After Being Traded
We hadn’t heard much from the 26-year-old after he got traded to the Jazz, but he did finally share his thoughts on Instagram last month. While he thanked everyone who had been a part of the journey, Collins did call out the Hawks for stunting his growth.
Over the last few years, we have seen Collins’s numbers gradually go down. In 2019-20, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc. He was a borderline All-Star at that time, but those days seem like an age ago at this point.
This past season, he only put up 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 29.2% from three. You can speculate what’s the reason for that decline, but Collins believes the Hawks are the ones who caused it.
We saw Lauri Markkanen have quite a resurgence after being traded to the Jazz last season, and Collins would be hoping for something similar now. He was also born in Utah, so it’s obviously great for him to go back home as well.
What To Expect From The Hawks In 2023-24
While the Hawks would be hoping for a change in their fortunes in 2023-24, I just don’t see it happening. They just seem like a team that is destined to remain, at best, in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.
They have got a great backcourt on paper, but Trae and Dejounte Murray had problems connecting on the court last season. While things could be better this season, now that they have a year together under their belt, I still have serious doubts.
The Hawks have some solid pieces around them, like De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Clint Capela, but none of them are really game-changers. They’re just a good but not great team, and I can see things panning out exactly as they did last season.
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