John Collins Suspended For 25 Games After Testing Positive To Banned Substance

Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins of Layton, Utah has been suspended 25 games by the National Basketball Association. On Tuesday it was announced that Collins had violated the NBA drug policy and tested positive for the substance called growth hormone releasing peptide 2.

Collins becomes the third player already this season to be suspended 25 games by the NBA. He joins Wilson Chandler of the Brooklyn Nets and Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns, who are already on the sidelines.

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Collins’s 25 game suspension will cost him $610,582 according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. So far in 2019, Collins is averaging 17 points per game. He is also averaging 8.8 rebounds per game and two blocks per game with a field goal percentage of .525 and a free throw percentage of .706.

Collins’s best game in 2019 came on October 29 in a 112-97 Atlanta loss to the Miami Heat. On this night, Collins was by far the best Hawks player on the basketball court. His 30 points were the most on the team by a wide margin. The only other Hawks player in double digits in scoring was Jabari Parker, who came off the bench and scored 12 points. With Collins no longer able to provide the Hawks with steady minutes, do not be surprised to see Parker be given the chance in a regular starting role.

The Hawks are in a rebuilding state at the moment. They have a record of two wins and three losses to start the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Atlanta’s victories came in their first two games of the season. They beat the Detroit Pistons 117-100 on October 24 and then the Orlando Magic 103-99 two nights later. Atlanta will begin life without Collins on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

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