John Collins, the young star forward for the Atlanta Hawks, has been suspended for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug policy, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Hawks have been playing great to start the season, but losing Collins for 25 games could mean everything to this team’s chemistry. Trae Young, the other star player for the Hawks, is just returning to the lineup. One man back, another man down.
John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks Suspended for PEDs
Wojnarowski reported that Collins tested positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 2, per the league. Collins was playing terrific for the Hawks so far this season, averaging 17 points per game, along with two blocks. With Collins out of the lineup, the Hawks are back to the drawing board. The young duo of Young and Collins is hard-hitting but will be taking a step back as the chemistry dwindles down due to Collins’ suspension.
Collins tested positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 2, league says. https://t.co/p8rVl51PT8
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 5, 2019
Wojnarowski also reported that Collins did not know that the supplement that he took contained the banned substance. Collins says that he will be starting the process of appealing the suspension as soon as possible. Collins will be working with the NBPA to try to successfully complete his appeal process. If the appeal isn’t successful, Collins’ suspension ends on December 23rd against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since the start of the summer, this is the third player to be suspended for violation of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug policy. Wilson Chandler of the Brooklyn Nets and Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns are apart of this list.
What’s Next for the Atlanta Hawks
With Collins out of the lineup, they lose their most important piece in the paint. This could mean that the Hawks could be dropping a lot of games over the next month and a half. The Hawks will have some serious catching up to do once Collins gets back on the court. Although the Hawks’ playoff hopes aren’t completely ruined, they will need to work hard and not have any more run-ins with suspensions in order to clinch a playoff spot.
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