John Collins

Be able to shoot, be able to pass and do all those extra things that I can't make up with freakish athleticism, the freakish body type that I don't have, I have to make up for it with being versatile.

Obviously, I can always get better on defense, improve intensity, my willingness to be locked in and stay in a stance, all that stuff is great, but I feel like playmaking, for myself, not only to create shots for myself but to create shots for others, benefits everybody.

Just small things are going to hopefully lead to a bigger surplus in the end. Obviously, you might not see it every single game, every single detail, but those small things and those small details add up so much, and that's what creates winning.

I definitely feel like I've put in a lot of work and shown my value and shown the worth, shown my competitive spirit, my willingness to be within the organization, my leadership skills. Hopefully all that pays off in the end and we can come to an agreement. I want to be a Hawk and hopefully I want to sign that deal here.

Size is just something you can't teach, you know what I mean? I can't be bigger than Joel Embiid or Steven Adams or Aron Baynes. It's almost near impossible.

Drogba. I used to grow up watching football and when I saw him that was it. I've got his jersey in my closet. That dude is a legend for what he achieved at Chelsea.

At my size and height you have to be able to do everything.

I'm having to deal with the LeBrons, Paul Georges, Gianniss, KDs, the 6ft 8in to 6ft 11in guys who can do everything at my height, shoot, play make, block shots, defend. They set the precedent I've got to uphold. There's no excuse for me. That's my goal, to be at their level.

It's in the Hawks' DNA to win one, so I want to be a part of the Hawks' DNA and the Hawks' lineage of guys who have won a Slam Dunk Championship.

My ability to play off the pick-and-roll, open plays for other guys and use my athletic body to catch lobs, that's what I do every night.

For me, the biggest thing is to adjust from college to a professional setting.

There are a lot of guidelines and regulations that come with being a military kid and being raised on a military base. It gives you a structure and discipline on what not to do and right and wrong. I've been used to it my whole life.

I really haven't been trying to force or shoot outside of my comfort zone.

I've worked on my shot a lot, had a lot of time to think about it and I'm sort of settling into it.

For me, it's never really been a road block for me to shoot, it's just a matter of me continuing to shoot and shooting with confidence.

I just feel like with my size, I wasn't blessed with extra long arms, so I feel like with me not being on the taller side and shorter side when it comes to arm length, I feel like I need to be as versatile as I can.

I just felt like for everybody watching, my game is continuing to develop, continuing to grow. I just hope that's what people see.

It knocks the rust off, going against a guy like Kevin Love.

I used to be very superstitious, and then I got too much into that. I just try to stay away from all the superstitions that I can and try to get as calm as I can before the game. That's my new superstition: just to get as calm as I can.

I've always taken pride in trying to catch the ball.

I felt like that was an important thing for guards to trust the big fella when they give them the ball - that you can catch and finish. I think that's real big for the trust between you and your guards.

I didn't get a chance to shoot any threes at all in the offense we ran at Wake.

I think I've always had the ability to shoot.

I feel like every NBA player puts their life into this game, and for it to be cut short - it hurts, especially when you have so much unfinished business that you feel like you needed to handle.

It's frustrating and difficult to go out there every night as an underdog, knowing you're probably going to lose, knowing you still have to play hard to prove yourself to your teammates, coaches and higher-ups that you're still valuable.

Coming from a player who has already been on two rebuilding teams and now in my third year on a rebuilding team, it's like, what more can I say of how tired I am?

I've seen some of those comments and they hurt me a little bit, saying 'This guy's a cheater.' And I feel like if you know me, you know my character, and just my person, you know that's not what I would do, not what I would ever do.

I want to stay with the Hawks.

I always end up saying, whether it being my rookie year, not playing as many games as I should have with the new coaching and whatnot, and then my injury and my suspension, I feel like every year, it's always been something, you know what I mean?

Everyone has a niche of dunks that they are experts at.

I hate missing dunks.

It's like people think, 'Oh you're playing losing basketball. You're possessions don't matter.' I feel like they matter even more because that's when they're truly watching if you're developing or not.

I have a very blessed life. I want to be clear about that.

My biggest strength is my versatility.

Water is the most powerful thing in the world. Just being in it, around it, it gives me some sort of peace. Watching it, looking at it, I love it.

You sort of have that meditation, that happy place I go to in my brain. The happy place may be an island or something where I'm on the beach. Something like that where I can sort of at least try to escape and try to just release my mind into that place that I want to be in, into my relaxing place.

The way the league is going, versatility-wise, people want everybody to do everything. And I want to be that guy. That seems fun to me.

You always want to fantasize about the future, and all the work you're going to put in, all the accolades, but you always forget the roadblocks that are right in front of you until they hit you and you have to go over them.

I've always had good hands, but my reaction time is something goaltending helped me with, being able to track the ball at such a fast speed.

I'm comfortable being around the NBA lifestyle, the travel, the hotels, the pregame, everything.

Happy to be a Hawk. Shows a lot of promise that the organization is willing to take the time to pick me.

Every day, those on the front lines are putting themselves at risk to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm honored to be partnering with Sharecare to provide immunity-boosting shots to our local Atlanta heroes and give them the support they need during this time.

It's crazy when you go back and look at it: playing 26 minutes a game, averaging 19 points and nine rebounds. That was a result of a lot of hard work.

My mom is my backbone.

I'm used to structure, and the relationship I have with my mom, from a military standpoint, is all about structure. There's a certain way of doing things. My mom knows how to focus on different situations. What I learned from her helps me out every night I play.

I'm not saying I'll be the next Tim Duncan. But it was about time for Wake Forest to produce another super productive big man.

I'm all in. I'm true to Atlanta.

When I see myself - 'John Collins the Atlanta Hawks' - saying that and hearing that, hearing myself say that, looking in the mirror, and realizing 'man I made it' is crazy to think about.

I wasn't a very highly recruited guy out of high school... It's always a chip I've had on my shoulder.

If I can be smart off the court, then I have to believe that will bleed onto the court.