Tuesday morning brought a bit of a good news-bad news situation for Hawks fans.
The good news: Trae Young is set to return to the starting lineup. The bad news: John Collins could be away from the team for quite some time.
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Collins has been suspended 25 games without pay for violating the terms of the NBA's Anti-Drug Program. The league announced Collins tested positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2).
"First I want to apologize to my teammates, the Hawks organization, our fans, partners and community as a whole for this situation," Collins said in a statement shared by the Hawks. "I understand the impact this matter has on what we are trying to achieve together this season, and I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself for putting all of us in this position.
"I have always been incredibly careful about what I put in my body, but I took a supplement which, unbeknownst to me, had been contaminated with an illegal component. I plan to fight my suspension in arbitration so I can get back on the court as soon as possible and continue to contribute to our 2019-20 campaign."
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said the organization was "disappointed" by the news, but the team will "provide John with support on and off the court" moving forward. Collins' suspension will begin with Atlanta's game against the Spurs on Tuesday night.
Fortunately for the Hawks, their leading scorer will be available for that contest. Young is officially off the injury report and ready to play after suffering a sprained right ankle against the Heat last week, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Trae Young hurts his ankle and helped off the court pic.twitter.com/yGqh3GgpJN
— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) October 30, 2019
Young is averaging 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range through four games.
Atlanta is in the midst of a three-game losing streak with its longest road trip of the season coming up this month, so the offensive burden on Young's shoulders will only become heavier with Collins (17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds per game) out for the foreseeable future.
