Hawks' Collins 'definitely' believes he's worthy of max extension

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins has had a productive start to his three-year NBA career.

The Wake Forest product has increased his scoring and rebounding averages each season and will be eligible for a contract extension this summer.

Collins believes his strong play is deserving of a lucrative payday and said there's nowhere else he'd rather play than Atlanta.

"When we're talking max numbers and money, I feel like I definitely (am in) the conversation to have earned that money with the Hawks specifically, but, obviously, I know there's business and we don't always get exactly what we want," Collins told Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But I want to be a Hawk, I want to stay with the Hawks."

Collins has bounced back after serving a 25-game suspension earlier this season for violating the NBA's anti-drug program. He's one of the few players in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, recording 21.6 points and 10.1 boards per contest.

The 22-year-old has also posted the Association's fifth-highest 2-point field-goal percentage (64.2%) and is shooting a career-high 40.1% from deep.

While Collins has experienced great individual success, the Hawks have taken a step back in 2019-20. Yet the 6-foot-9 forward doesn't appear scared off by the losing and wants to see it through with the club.

"I feel like we've both invested ourselves in each other ... I feel like we both want to see our investments in each other pay off," Collins said. "In that sense, I just want to know where I am.

"I want to know I'm locked in as soon as I can rather than having to wait, which I know happens, but when you do wait, a lot of other stuff mentally creeps in during the season while I'm tired, while I'm playing, ups and downs, injuries, but that's also a part of just being a pro athlete."