Trae Young and John Collins Are Fueling the NBA’s Next Dynasty
While superstar movement has captivated the basketball universe, the very young Atlanta Hawks have their own dynamic duo that nobody’s talking about.
Most were skeptical when pint-sized Trae Young was taken 5th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and certainly nobody thought John Collins would be a star was when he was taken 17th overall the year before. Two years later, the Atlanta Hawks are a franchise on the rise and the duo of Young and Collins look primed to take the league by storm.
Reviewing The “Young” Season
Trae Young’s rookie year started out exactly how you would expect for a talented but undersized player running at a high volume his first season in the NBA. Young’s Steph Curry-esque range and elite playmaking ability were on display from Day 1, but his inefficiency (an issue scouts hampered on) became a cause for concern.
Over his first 36 games, Young was putting up solid numbers with 15.6 PPG and 7.4 APG, but his marks of 39.6 FG% and 27.5 3PT% were a scary sight. It exuded an eerily similar feeling to his college struggles at Oklahoma where he had one of the worst supporting casts in the country. Young flashed promise constantly, but he needed to prove he could shoot efficiently to be effective.
As the season went, the flashy rookie continued to improve day by day. Although he’s undersized, his athleticism and IQ are matched only by his first-class skill set, which is miles ahead of what you expect of any rookie. Young’s a smart kid who knows how to read and manipulate defenses. As he began to adjust to the speed of the NBA, he really flourished down the stretch. After the All-Star break, Young’s play was stellar and his continuous development was on full display. He posted 24.7 PPG and 9.2 APG with much-improved efficiency marks of 44.2 FG% and 34.8 3PT%. He even managed a solid 4.7 RPG, an impressive mark considering the guy stands at 6’2”, 178 pounds.
How ‘Bout Collins?
When John Collins was drafted in 2017, he was tabbed as a “good prospect” with some development left to go. While the Hawks made the playoffs the year before, they were ready to hit the reset button and go into full rebuild mode with the (expected) loss of Paul Millsap in free agency. Drafting Collins made sense to fill the gap Millsap left, but still, there were questions about whether Collins could have the same impact.
Collins came into the league as a gaudy rebounder, but he proved to be much more than that. He could score on putbacks and tip-ins with ease, but he functioned as a solid rim runner while flashing the ability to space the floor. As a rookie, Collins put up 10.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG in just 24.1 MPG, great numbers that he could build on.
It was his sophomore season that Collins really stepped into his own. Now playing 30.0 minutes per game, he went off with 19.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG on 56.0 FG%, while really ramping up his development on the three ball, stroking it at 34.8% on 2.6 3PTA. At 6’10”, 235 pounds, he’s hard to justify as a full time 5-man, but he’s proven to be versatile.
Collins has polished his skill set and blossomed into a modern-day power forward. And it’s more than just the jump shot. He has shown some ability to cover on the perimeter, he’s becoming adept at putting the ball on the floor and scoring in the face-up game. He runs the floor extremely well. John Collins is already a 20–10 guy, and he’s only 21 years old.
The Interesting Thing About This Duo
The saying goes, “your big man is only as good the point guard who feeds him.” In many respects, that’s true, particularly with the case of Trae Young and John Collins. It’s certainly evident when you watch these young Atlanta Hawks play. Collins is a solid shooter, even better in the pick-and-roll game, but he needs that guy to get him the ball in prime spots.
The impact of Young is truly felt there. Young’s ability to absorb the defense combined with his top tier playmaking ability gets Collins such easy looks near the rim. Similarly, when Collins is at the three-point line, Young can penetrate into the paint, draw a double, and find Collins for wide open looks or equally strong dribble-drive opportunities.
Then there’s the aspect that will never show up on the stat sheet. Young is so skillful and crafty at getting into the paint and finishing through contact that he draws the help defender constantly. Drawing that second man, even for a split second, gives Collins a lane to crash the boards a which makes it even easier to grab rebounds for the big man.
But just relationship goes both ways. Much like we see with Steph Curry, teams love to trap Young in the high ball screen. Instead of forcing the issue and turning the ball over, the rookie point guard found an easy outlet with Collins. Once receiving that pass, Collins’ ability to handle the ball and create in 4-on-3 situations has kept the Hawks offense fluid.
Filling Out The Roster
The Hawks have something brewing with the duo of Young and Collins, but you need more than two guys to win a championship. The team is well aware of that, and they’ve quietly established one of the most promising rosters in the NBA. This Atlanta team is the youngest in the league with an average age of 24.3, so the fact that they won only 29 games isn’t really a cause for concern.
There’s a difference between tanking and rebuilding. And fortunately for Atlanta fans, the Hawks are the latter. Behind Young and Collins, 2018 1st round pick Kevin Heurter looks to be the perfect backcourt mate to Trae Young. Heurter is a sniper from three and his length allows him to be an impactful defender.
The two Top 10 picks from the recent 2019 NBA Draft, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, both look like prototypical 3-and-D wings that will adapt to today’s NBA perfectly. They have the versatility to cover multiple positions and the potential to develop into stars. But let’s not forget about the team’s 2nd round pick Bruno Fernando, who some people had going in the lottery. Fernando is a freaky athlete with fantastic length. He could be the center of the future next to Collins.
Beyond that, the Hawks have a ton of young players that look like they will develop into important role players like DeAndre’ Bembry, Omari Spellman, and even Alex Len. While star power is always key, having strong role players is crucial to building a roster that can sustain success. The Hawks have a squad that continues to get better year after year and they have the assets to continue adding to that.
The Lloyd Pierce Effect
After the firing Mike Budenholzer, the Atlanta Hawks brought in 76ers assistant Lloyd Pierce to head up this team. While he was a relatively unknown commodity out of Philly, Pierce’s background as a player developer seems to be the right fit in Atlanta. Now one year later, Pierce’s imprints are all over this young squad.
While many see Atlanta’s youth as a negative, Pierce used it to his advantage. The Hawks ran at a pace of 103.9, which ended up being the fastest in the entire league. With all the speed and energy on this team, they pushed the tempo early and often, which allowed guys like Young and Collins to flourish (along with everyone else) in the open court.
Young’s improvement in particular, as the season went on, was truly remarkable. While he has to be commended for getting his head on straight, his head coach deserves a ton of credit as well. You have to love Pierce’s ability to coach a personality, not just a skill set. The fact he could get Young to change his mindset and coach his point guard to learn better shot selection speaks volumes about his ability as a coach.
In an ever-changing NBA, Pierce has put a definite emphasis on three-point shooting. But not just from his guards and wings. The Hawks primary big men rotation of the aforementioned Collins, Len and Dwayne Dedmon all started shooting and knocking down threes for the first time in their respective careers.
It’s not just establishing a culture and acquiring players that fit his system, Pierce showed the pristine ability to develop players. Just look at the jump Collins took as a sophomore. It’s a trait that’s taken for granted, but the best head coaches are elite player developers. Lloyd Pierce is still unproven, but he’s really starting to come into his own as an NBA head coach.
Patience Is A Virtue
The reality is that the Atlanta Hawks are not currently a good team. I’m not going to sit here and tell you they are. They don’t have the flash of New Orleans with Zion Williamson, Jrue Holiday, and the rest of the boys. And while they don’t even have the spotlight of an R.J. Barrett in New York City, the Hawks are not to be trifled with.
This is a team that’s on the rise and perhaps faster than anyone else in the league. The star power is there, the coaching, everything you could ask for. Behind Trae Young and John Collins, this is an exciting team that’s going to surprise the league. Maybe not in 2019, maybe not even 2020… but don’t doubt them, they’re coming for it all.
All statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com.
