John Collins, the athletic big man who played a crucial role in Atlanta’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, could miss the play-in and more this season due to a foot injury.
Collins was out for Friday night with what the team called a right foot strain, however, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports he has a plantar fascia tear in his right foot.
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
Collins recently missed seven games with what was officially called a foot strain. He returned March 4 against the Wizards, played in four games but through pain, injured his finger, and had to sit out the last three.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan added this update, via Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
There is no official timeline for Collins to return, and his recovery length would depend on the severity of the tear and his pain tolerance. That said, players are often out about a month with this injury, sometimes longer.
Collins is averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, and his stats and play have taken a slight step back this season.
Atlanta is all but officially locked into the play-in tournament, sitting as the No. 10 seed but with a 4.5 game cushion over the No. 11 Wizards. Atlanta would need to win two games to get out of the play-in and onto the playoffs themselves (where they likely would face the Heat in the first round).
