The Atlanta Hawks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last year but things have been different this season.
They are currently 10th in the East with a record of 34-35.
Despite high expectations and their incredible postseason last year, the Hawks are struggling to make a mark in the league.
Now things are about to get even harder for the troubled team because they are losing one of their best players.
Hawks forward John Collins has a plantar fascia tear in his right foot as well as damage to his right ring finger, sources tell me and @ChrisKirschner. Collins has been playing through pain for past several weeks, but will now be sidelined indefinitely.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 18, 2022
It is being reported that John Collins has a plantar fascia tear in his right foot as well as some damage to his right ring finger as well.
Because of the injuries, Collins will now be sidelined indefinitely with just a few weeks to go in the regular season and the pivotal Play-In Tournament on the horizon.
Can the Hawks recover from this?
Hawks Not Flying High
There is no doubt that if the Hawks hope to make the playoffs, they will do so by going through the Play-In Tournament.
Right now they just barely qualify for the tournament because they are 10th seed.
If they fall any lower than that, any chance of a postseason will be gone and that would be quite a fall from grace for a team that almost made the NBA Finals last year.
Collins has been a huge help for Atlanta in his 54 games this season.
He has scored an average of 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting an impressive 52.6% from the floor and 36.4% from beyond the three-point line.
Those are obviously very big stats and greatly improve the team’s backcourt.
Without that missing piece of the puzzle, the Hawks will need the rest of their squad to step up and fill the void left by Collins.
If they don’t, they can kiss this season goodbye.
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