John Collins (basketball)

John Martin Collins III (born September 23, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Collins was selected with the 19th pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2017 NBA draft.

For the 1980s basketball player, see Jon Collins.

John Collins
Collins with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021
No. 20 – Utah Jazz
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-09-23) September 23, 1997
Layton, Utah, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High schoolCardinal Newman
(West Palm Beach, Florida)
CollegeWake Forest (2015–2017)
NBA draft2017: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2023Atlanta Hawks
2023–presentUtah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Collins was born in Layton, Utah, to John Collins Jr. and Lyria Rissing-Collins from the U.S. Virgin Islands. His father served in the Navy and his mother was in the Air Force. As a result, the family moved a lot during Collins' youth, spending time in the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Turkey.[1] He regularly played soccer as a teenager on his mother's military bases. He is a big Premier League football fan, and an avid supporter of London team Chelsea.[2]

Collins attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. While at Newman, he was a three-time letter winner and was named the Florida Class 4A Player of the Year his senior year. On November 13, 2014, he signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Wake Forest.[3][4]

College career

Collins appeared in all 31 of his team's game during his freshman year. He led the team in field goal accuracy at 54.7%.[5]

Collins at the free throw line in 2017

On January 18, 2017, Collins scored 27 points and 7 rebounds in a 96–79 win against Miami.[6] On January 21, 2017, Collins scored 21 points and 9 rebounds in a 93–88 win over NC State.[7] On January 23, 2017, Collins was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) player of the week.[8] On January 31, 2017, Collins scored 26 points and 16 rebounds in an 85–80 victory against Boston College.[9] On February 4, 2017, Collins scored a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds in an 81–69 win over Georgia Tech.[10] On February 20, 2017, Collins earned ACC Player of the week honors for the second consecutive time.[11] On February 22, 2017, Collins scored 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 63–59 win against Pittsburgh.[12] On March 2, 2017, Collins scored 25 points and 11 rebounds in an 88–81 win against No.8 ranked Louisville.[13] As a starter his sophomore year, Collins led Wake Forest in scoring and rebounding with 19.2 points per game and 9.8 rebounds a game. Collins also led the ACC in field goal percentage and 20 point and 10 rebound games (10). Collins streak of 20 point games for 12 consecutive times is the longest ever by a Wake Forest player, while also becoming the first to score 600 points and 300 in a season since former Demon Deacon and NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan did it during the 1996–97 season.[14] His performance earned him recognition as the ACC Most Improved Player and he was named first-team all-ACC.[15]

After the season Collins entered the 2017 NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of eligibility.[16]

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2017–2023)

On June 22, 2017, Collins was selected with the nineteenth overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.[17] On July 1, 2017, he signed a rookie-scaled deal with the Hawks.[18] During the 2017 NBA Summer League, he earned All-Summer League First Team honors due to his performances with the Hawks, which gave him averages of 15.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in 23.1 minutes of action in the five games he played there. His highlight play was him dunking on Pelicans center Cheick Diallo. Collins later saw action in all five preseason games for the Hawks, coming off the bench with per game averages of 7.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 19.2 minutes.

On October 22, 2017, in his third ever NBA game, Collins recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 116–104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He followed it up the very next night with another double-double performance against the Miami Heat, getting 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 104–93 loss.

Due to an injury to Luke Babbitt, Collins played 36 minutes and scored a career high 21 points in a 96–85 losing effort to the San Antonio Spurs on November 20, 2017. With Babbitt still sidelined, Collins drew his first career start two days later against the Los Angeles Clippers. Although the Hawks ended up losing 116–103, he impressed with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in a career high 38 minutes. Late in the November 30 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Collins suffered a shoulder injury and was expected to be out for 2 to 3 weeks. He made his return on December 14 to play the Detroit Pistons, missing a total of six games.

By the trade deadline on February 8, 2018, the Hawks had a losing record of 17–37. With the postseason out of reach, Collins saw an increase in minutes and made his fifth start of the season on February 14 in a rematch with the Pistons. Other than two missed games in March due to an ankle injury, he started for the Hawks the rest of the season. Although Atlanta managed just 24 wins, Collins averaged 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 57.6% shooting while tallying 11 double-doubles in his rookie season. On May 22, 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[19]

On January 23, 2019, Collins recorded a career high 35 points in a 121–101 win over the Chicago Bulls.[20] On April 10, 2019, he scored 20 points and recorded a career-high 25 rebounds in a 135–134 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Hawks' season finale.[21]

On November 5, 2019, Collins was suspended by the NBA for 25 games without pay for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He tested positive for pralmorelin, a growth hormone-releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2).[22]

On December 23, 2019, Collins returned from his suspension and recorded a double-double scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a 121–118 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 22, 2020, Collins scored 33 points and 16 rebounds in a 102–95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.[23] On February 5, 2020, Collins put up 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 127–120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[24] On February 22, 2020, he tied his career high in points scoring 35 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in a 111–107 win against the Dallas Mavericks.[25] On March 9, 2020, Collins scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 143–138 double–overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets.[26]

The Atlanta Hawks formally signed Collins to a five-year contract worth $125 million on August 6, 2021.[27][28]

On January 13, 2023, Collins made a buzzer-beating, game-winning tip-in in a 113–111 win over the Indiana Pacers.[29]

Utah Jazz (2023–present)

On July 7, 2023, Collins was traded to his hometown team the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick.[30]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Atlanta 742624.1.576.340.7157.31.3.61.110.5
2018–19 Atlanta 615930.0.560.348.7639.82.0.4.619.5
2019–20 Atlanta 414133.2.583.401.80010.11.5.81.621.6
2020–21 Atlanta 636329.3.556.399.8337.41.2.51.017.6
2021–22 Atlanta 545330.8.526.364.7937.81.8.61.016.2
2022–23 Atlanta 717130.0.508.292.8036.51.2.61.013.1
Career 36431329.2.551.356.7838.01.5.61.015.8

Play-in
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Atlanta 1122.5.500.250.3334.02.0.0.010.0
Career 1122.5.500.250.3334.02.0.0.010.0

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Atlanta 181832.0.549.357.8338.7.9.4.613.9
2022 Atlanta 5424.3.487.364.5004.61.2.4.29.4
2023 Atlanta 6627.4.433.344.8334.3.8.31.011.3
Career 292829.7.516.354.7697.1.9.4.612.6

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Wake Forest 31114.4.547–.6913.9.2.3.77.3
2016–17 Wake Forest 333326.6.622.000.7459.8.5.61.619.2
Career 643420.7.601.000.7297.0.4.51.213.4

References
  1. Johns, Les (January 27, 2017). "Mother and mentor guide John Collins' path to success". Scout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2017..
  2. "The Men in Blazers Show with John Collins". Men in Blazers. December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  3. "Wake Forest Signs Three to Letters of Intent". wakeforestsports.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  4. Jennings, Michael (October 11, 2014). "John Collins commits to Wake Forest". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  5. "Wake Forest Bio". wakeforestsports.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  6. "Collins leads Wake Forest past Miami, 96–79". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. "Wake Forest tops NC State 93–88 to snap long ACC road skid". ESPN.com. ESPN. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  8. "Collins Named ACC Player of the Week". godeacs.com. Wake Forest Athletics. January 23, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. "Collins carries Wake Forest past Boston College 85–80". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  10. "Collins scores 20 as Wake Forest beats Georgia Tech 81–69". ESPN.com. ESPN. February 4, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  11. Communications Athletic, Forest Wake (February 20, 2017). "Collins Named ACC Player of the Week". godeacs.com. Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  12. "Wake Forest rallies from 19 down, beats Pitt 63–59". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  13. "Collins, Wake Forest upset No.8 Louisville 88–81". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  14. Dortch, Chris (May 26, 2017). "Armed with impressive stats, John Collins could be Wake Forest's next stellar big man in NBA". NBA.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  15. "ACC ANNOUNCES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM, POSTSEASON AWARDS". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  16. Associated Press. "Wake's John Collins to remain in NBA draft". USAToday.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  17. "Hawks pick at No.19: John Collins, Wake Forest Forward". ESPN.com. ESPN. June 22, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  18. "Atlanta Hawks Sign John Collins". NBA.com. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  19. "Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons lead 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie first team". NBA.com. May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  20. "Hawks' John Collins: Career-high 35 points in win". CBSSports.com. January 23, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  21. "Hawks' John Collins: Grabs 25 rebounds in finale". CBSSports.com. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  22. "Hawks' John Collins suspended 25 games". NBA.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  23. "Collins, Goodwin rally Hawks from 21 down, beat Clips 102–95". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  24. "Hawks beat Wolves 127–120 as teams brace for roster shifts". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  25. "Collins, Hawks get hot late, rally past Mavericks 111–107". ESPN.com. ESPN. February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  26. "Young has 31 as Hawks outlast Hornets 143–138 in double–OT". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  27. "Agents: John Collins agrees to five-year, $125M deal to stay with Atlanta Hawks". ESPN.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  28. "Atlanta Hawks Re-Sign John Collins". NBA.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  29. "Collins beats buzzer with tip-in, Hawks edge Pacers 113-111". espn.com. January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  30. "Utah Jazz Acquire Forward/Center John Collins". NBA.com. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
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