John Collins re-injures left ankle, exits Warriors game

UPDATE: After having his ankle re-taped, Collins returned to action.

Atlanta Hawks rookie big man John Collins was sidelined for two games with a sprained left ankle but, in the early going of his return contest against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, Collins looked healthy and explosive. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long, as Collins was forced to the locker room early in the second quarter after apparently re-injuring the same ankle.

Collins exited with 10:33 remaining in the second quarter after landing on Taurean Prince’s foot in pursuit of a rebound. He was immediately led to the locker room, albeit under his own power, and the Hawks indicated that he would have the ankle re-taped.

With the Hawks completely out of the playoff picture, there is no incentive to push Collins back to action and, depending on the severity, Atlanta could be extremely careful with the young big man. Stay tuned as further information becomes available in the near future.