With 19 games left in the regular season, getting John Collins back in Friday’s win vs. the Wizards gives the Hawks quite a boost.
Collins had missed seven games with a right foot strain, an injury that had been bothering him on and off before he re-tweaked it in the Hawks’ loss to the Spurs on Feb. 11. He’s not 100% yet, but is trying to manage the injury down the stretch of the season, as the Hawks jockey for position in the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff and play-in tournament race (Atlanta, Brooklyn and Charlotte are all tied at 2.5 games back from No. 7 seed Toronto as of Monday afternoon).
“It’s not the greatest, in terms of me just having no pain, but in terms of me being able to come back and play and play at a high level and obviously knock some of the rust off, I feel like it’s going to help a lot. ... I definitely feel like it’s going to be a process to get back to 100% as it is with anything, but I’m just trying to do my best to maintain and damage control, if you will, to just make sure I’m healthy and ready to go enough to do well for my team,” Collins said at shootaround in Detroit, with the Hawks set to face the Pistons on Monday night.
“Nothing I feel like I can't do or haven't been able to do since then, just being cautious and trying to make sure I do it the right way."
Collins had the Hawks’ record in mind in wanting to get back playing, but is still trying to get treatment for his foot and rest as much as he can. The Hawks having Collins’ scoring, rebounding and defense makes a big difference for the team.
“Our position in the standings definitely had an impact on how I felt about my injury as well as how I felt about coming back to the team… We’re just in a tight spot with the play-in, and we just want to try to make every game a win,” Collins said. “Obviously doing it the right way and not forcing me to rush back, but making sure I’m ready and as I said, we want to get these wins and do it the right way, so however we need to do it, we’re trying to.”
Collins is still on a minute restriction (he played 25 minutes in Friday’s win in Washington) but said he isn’t limited physically at this point. After games or high-impact activity, he’s experiencing some pain, but he’s spoken to trainers and the Hawks’ coaching staff about the best ways to manage his foot.
“Nothing I feel like I can’t do or haven’t been able to do since then, just being cautious and trying to make sure I do it the right way,” Collins said. “... Anytime I’m super active, it definitely gives me some pain in the mornings and after games, but as I said, that’s where the managing comes in… Just try to apply it and try to make sure I’m comfortable with my foot, as well.”
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