John Collins Selected 19th by the Atlanta Hawks

Former Wake Forest big man John Collins was drafted with the 19th pick overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the First Round of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Collins averaged 19.2 PPG and 9.8 RPG at Wake Forest during an incredible sophomore season that saw the young man go from a virtual unknown into a college basketball household name.

Demonstrating a set of hands that most collegiate players would kill for, Collins shot 62% from the field, 74% from the free throw line, and put up a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 35.9, ranking as one of the best in collegiate history.

This season catapulted Collins into First Round and Lottery discussion ahead of the NBA Draft, and his hard work paid off tonight.

A more detailed look at Collins and his overall game can be found here.

Collins is the first Wake Forest basketball player drafted since Al-Farouq Aminu was drafted 8th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2010.

A lot of teams overlooked Collins again in the NBA Draft, adding another chip on his shoulder. He was overlooked in high school, college, and now the NBA. This is nothing new for him, and I fully expect him to prove all the doubters wrong and impress in the NBA.

He wowed scouts and teams alike during workouts with his impressive athleticism, soft touch around the basket, and unknown ability to shoot the three-ball.

While his defense has said to need work, Collins is a young player with a high ceiling who will have plenty of time to grow into the NBA and the type of player that the Hawks want.

Congratulations to John Collins from everybody at Blogger So Dear and Wake Forest. We thank you for everything that you did during the past two years to help put Wake Forest back on the national map. We wish you all the best in the NBA and can’t wait to get out and buy your jersey!