Hawks guard Trae Young once relied on John Collins, but Onyeka Okongwu will now have a bigger role on the team.
NBA basketball returns Oct. 24. We are counting down the days like the seconds on a shot clock — literally, that’s what we’re doing. As of Oct. 1, our writers will list 24 storylines heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
A new storyline will drop each day. Here is No. 4:
The Hawks shipped big man John Collins this offseason. Here’s why they won’t regret that decision:
Collins was a positive, affable and beloved presence in and around the Hawks during his six years in Atlanta. He was also a walking trade rumor the last three. Finally, the Hawks pulled the trigger last summer, sending him to Utah.
He’ll be missed … for the reasons mentioned above. As a player? Not so much. His production dropped every season since 2019-20 when he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds at power forward and was clearly (then) a centerpiece. By last season, Collins (13 and six) was a secondary option playing less than 30 minutes whose 3-point shooting suffered (29%). It was time. His market value was fading.
The question is, do the Hawks have a young John Collins on the roster? The reflex answer is no, but it really depends on how much Onyeka Okongwu has developed. The No. 6 selection in 2020, “O” has seen his minutes and place in the rotation rise, and there are times when he flirts with a double-double — something Collins made a habit of doing at his peak as a Hawk.
There’s really no better power forward option on the roster at the moment. In fact, the Hawks at times operated smoother, at least offensively, last season when they went small. They will ostensibly get to see more of Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin filling the available minutes from Collins’ departure.
The question for coach Quin Snyder: Can he have Okongwu and center Clint Capela on the floor together for long stretches? Neither brings shooting, therefore they can’t stretch the floor. Would Atlanta trade Capela and then slide Okongwu, who’s 6-foot-9, into the center spot?
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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