Quotes from John Collins

Coming from a player who has already been on two rebuilding teams and now in my third year on a rebuilding team, it's like, what more can I say of how tired I am?

At my size and height you have to be able to do everything.

I wasn't a very highly recruited guy out of high school... It's always a chip I've had on my shoulder.

I'm not saying I'll be the next Tim Duncan. But it was about time for Wake Forest to produce another super productive big man.

There are a lot of guidelines and regulations that come with being a military kid and being raised on a military base. It gives you a structure and discipline on what not to do and right and wrong. I've been used to it my whole life.

You sort of have that meditation, that happy place I go to in my brain. The happy place may be an island or something where I'm on the beach. Something like that where I can sort of at least try to escape and try to just release my mind into that place that I want to be in, into my relaxing place.

I'm comfortable being around the NBA lifestyle, the travel, the hotels, the pregame, everything.

It's in the Hawks' DNA to win one, so I want to be a part of the Hawks' DNA and the Hawks' lineage of guys who have won a Slam Dunk Championship.

It knocks the rust off, going against a guy like Kevin Love.

I really haven't been trying to force or shoot outside of my comfort zone.

I hate missing dunks.

My mom is my backbone.

Water is the most powerful thing in the world. Just being in it, around it, it gives me some sort of peace. Watching it, looking at it, I love it.

I've always had good hands, but my reaction time is something goaltending helped me with, being able to track the ball at such a fast speed.

It's my first All-Star experience. It's pretty dope seeing all the super stars and all the big-time names.

I feel like every NBA player puts their life into this game, and for it to be cut short - it hurts, especially when you have so much unfinished business that you feel like you needed to handle.

I'm used to structure, and the relationship I have with my mom, from a military standpoint, is all about structure. There's a certain way of doing things. My mom knows how to focus on different situations. What I learned from her helps me out every night I play.

Everyone has a niche of dunks that they are experts at.

I'm having to deal with the LeBrons, Paul Georges, Gianniss, KDs, the 6ft 8in to 6ft 11in guys who can do everything at my height, shoot, play make, block shots, defend. They set the precedent I've got to uphold. There's no excuse for me. That's my goal, to be at their level.

Size is just something you can't teach, you know what I mean? I can't be bigger than Joel Embiid or Steven Adams or Aron Baynes. It's almost near impossible.

Not every coach uses the same terminology.

It's frustrating and difficult to go out there every night as an underdog, knowing you're probably going to lose, knowing you still have to play hard to prove yourself to your teammates, coaches and higher-ups that you're still valuable.

Shooting the 3. Maybe drive and kick. Drive and get to the cup. Just being versatile. Being able to guard multiple positions on defense. Basically, be a mismatch problem and have coach give the confidence and say 'Yo, whatever the lineup is, whatever the game plans is, we keep John in and involved in the game.' That's my goal.

Be able to shoot, be able to pass and do all those extra things that I can't make up with freakish athleticism, the freakish body type that I don't have, I have to make up for it with being versatile.