Atlanta Hawks Roster, Injury News 2017: John Collins to Miss Two to Three Weeks With Shoulder Injury
Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins will have to sit out a few games after he sustained a shoulder injury in the final minutes of Thursday's 121–114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Collins has been diagnosed with a sprained acromioclavicular (AC) joint in his left shoulder and he's expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks.
The rookie forward started the season as a key reserve for the Hawks as he logged minutes behind their starters at the center and power forward positions, but he would soon get the chance to start when Luke Babbitt sustained a back injury.
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Collins is averaging 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. He's also shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 76.6 percent from the free throw line.
Collins has been a very efficient player thus far, and the Hawks will sorely miss his strong interior presence.
"He has an athleticism and a quickness," Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Collins before their game against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"I think you see it offensively in the way he's able to function and get to the basket and finish, and in offensive rebounding. We've been pushing him hard to use that same athleticism and that same pop to have an impact on the game defensively. He certainly still has a long ways to go, but when you go from summer league and training camp to some of the things he's doing, it's a pretty significant and noticeable improvement," he continued.
Meanwhile, starting center Dewayne Dedmon is also expected to miss three to six weeks due to a stress reaction in his left tibia.
Collins started at center when the Hawks took on the Cavaliers last Thursday, but he got hurt as well. In their absence, Miles Plumlee started at center against the Brooklyn Nets and Ersan İlyasova moved back into the starting lineup.
