John Collins Gets Praise From Hawks’ Trae Young After Trade to Jazz

It is safe to assume Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young enjoyed having John Collins playing alongside him throughout the first five seasons of his career. Unfortunately, that era has now come to a close after the recent deal moving him to the Utah Jazz.

Young discussed his feelings about the deal in the most recent episode of his podcast, From The Point:

"It’s definitely tough seeing him go, but at the same time, you know this is the business. JC knows that too. We’ve had conversations over the years, and we’re so close. We know this is the business. If we don’t win, things can change in a heartbeat. Me as a teammate, I loved playing with JC. I’ve thrown a lot of lobs to him. He’s made me look really good, a lot. I’ve always appreciated JC and I wish him nothing but the best.”

Especially for a high-volume assist guy like Young, a lob threat like Collins is a fantastic asset on the court with you. While the pairing did not exactly reach the Lob City Clippers type of production or excitement, it did result in some fun memories and highlights in Atlanta.

The question now lies if Collins can again reach the level of play we have seen him bear with Young earlier in his career, particularly in his second and third seasons. It was in those 102 games when he averaged a collective 20.3 points and 9.9 rebounds, paired with a block and a (then) respectable outside shot (37.4%).

If we saw that kind of career resurgence in Salt Lake City, this trade could end as a massive win for the Jazz. His exact role in Utah is slightly unclear, with such a crowded yet talented frontcourt surrounding him. However, with his contract value of over $75 million across the next three seasons, expect the Jazz to try and get all of the value they possibly can on the court for that price tag.

How the John Collins experiment unfolds in Utah will be just one of the many exciting storylines to watch as a Jazz fan next season.

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