Atlanta Hawks big John Collins was ruled out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot, Shams Charania and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic report.
Collins was already out in the last few games due to a finger injury. Collins’ importance to the Hawks is tremendous, as their best frontcourt scorer.
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
Defense is still a big issue for the Hawks this season and without Collins, the team is also missing part of its ability to score in bunches.
While there’s no timetable given for Collins’ injury, one would think he’s likely done for the season given how few games are left on the schedule. They have a comfortable 4.5 games edge over the 11th seeded Washington Wizards.
In any case, Atlanta will need to perform on a higher level in the play-in tournament in order to secure a place in the postseason. They will need two back-to-back wins away from home if they remain 10th in the conference.
The team has shown great inconsistency through the 2021-22 season after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Trae Young has been the only shining spot in a tough year for Atlanta facing several injuries in key players.
Young has been averaging 28.0 points, 9.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest through the 2021-22 regular season. He’s shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep.
The Hawks will return in action on Friday to face the Memphis Grizzlies in Atlanta as part of a two-game homestint.
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