MIAMI — Mid-answer, John Collins bent down from his courtside seat at FTX Arena and rapped his knuckles on the hardwood.
The question was about Collins’ potential playing time and activity in Game 2 vs. the Heat on Tuesday, a right ring finger sprain and right foot strain limiting him to 21 minutes Sunday in Game 1, his first game back since March 11.
“I feel like I should be able to carry a bigger load, obviously, knock on wood,” Collins said Tuesday morning at shootaround. “... Obviously, I probably won’t be at peak physical conditioning, but I don’t necessarily think I’m putting myself at risk body-wise.”
Make no mistake, Collins is still experiencing pain, his finger actively swollen and the main thing giving him trouble right now. He’s also still working into game shape. With the Hawks up against the No. 1-seed Heat, down 1-0 in the series after Sunday’s blowout loss, he’s pushing through.
“I feel like I’m as good as I can be right now,” Collins said. “Trying to take all the precautions and all the treatments. Only thing I can do. Obviously, I’m still in some pain. But I feel like everybody’s in some type of pain this time of year, at some point. Mine might be a little bit more than normal, but I’m still trying to do what I can.”
In Sunday’s loss, Collins moved pretty well but didn’t have much effect on the game, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal, shooting 4-for-6 from the field, 1-for-2 from 3-point range and 1-for-3 from the line.
Collins’ finger is particularly giving him trouble in any instance when he needs it to bend (he’s still keeping it wrapped and in a splint of sorts), for example, finishing at the rim and plays on defense when his hands are active. He looked comfortable shooting 3s at shootaround Tuesday, but the louder energy plays, his mainstays, likely won’t be comfortable for him.
On a positive note, his foot is more manageable now.
“I feel like I'm as good as I can be right now. Trying to take all the precautions and all the treatments. Only thing I can do. Obviously, I'm still in some pain. But I feel like everybody's in some type of pain this time of year, at some point. Mine might be a little bit more than normal, but I'm still trying to do what I can."
“No pain is welcome, but my foot I feel like is a little bit more manageable, dealing with leg pain,” Collins said. “My finger’s tough. Dunking, swiping … It’s part of the deal, right, you want to keep it straight and keep the splint on, and not bend it. Kind of hard to play basketball and not bend your finger. … So that’s the dilemma. I want to get out there and compete, but I know my finger is obviously not where we want it to be. But as I said, trying to do what I can.”
Collins can still play and wants to contribute, especially with the Hawks missing starting center Clint Capela, who hyperextended his right knee in Friday’s play-in game vs. Cleveland. There’s no set timeline for how long Capela will be out, per Hawks coach Nate McMillan, but right now Capela is limited to rehab and recovery activities.
With Capela out and Collins limited, there’s no question the Hawks are short on rebounding and physicality up against a tough Miami defense.
“Big part of our team, CC is, the anchor of our defense, middle of our paint on both sides of the court, so that’s a big presence that’s missed,” Collins said. “Obviously, I know I have an impact down there as well to make mine, but to not have CC and to also be trying to come back definitely puts a little bit more pressure on my shoulders to want to come back and be the leader and compete the way I want to. We’re still egging on to get CC back as quickly as possible, but I’m going to try to do my job and do what I do.
“... He’s moving well, and I think we’re happy that obviously nothing too much happened, nothing structural or whatever the technical terms are, so just trying to get him healthy and ready to go, too.”
Collins has to approach the game more delicately now, which obviously isn’t ideal, but he’s playing through it and wants to be on the floor contributing.
“Certain things I can do, certain things that I don’t feel comfortable or really hurt,” Collins said. “Hanging on the rim, maybe, or doing things where I would extremely bend my finger. That more so is the crux of what is going on. As I said, anything with bending hurts because I need to keep it straight. So that’s pretty much everything. It’s delicate. I’m trying to figure it out.
“I can still catch and do some things. It’s just inconsistent, to say the least. Sometimes I feel like I have a great grip and sometimes I don’t feel normal, as I do have something with my finger. It’s tough.”
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