Miami Heat: 5 storylines to watch in the 2017 NBA Draft Combine

4. Does John Collins have the physical tools to become a plus-defender?

John Collins is basically the power forward version of Kennard: an extremely efficient scorer with potential limitations that may hurt his prospects at the next level.

After a quiet freshman campaign, Collins exploded as a sophomore. In 2016-17, he became the second player in ACC history (dating back to 1992-93) to average at least 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting over 60.0 percent from the floor. The other player to do it was some guy called Tim Duncan.

Offensively, even though Collins operates mostly from the within the mid-post, he’s still a monster. The questions about his next-level outlook arise when we look at the other end of the floor. Because even despite his high block average, his biggest weakness is his defense.

His Wake Forest team finished the season ranked an incredibly low 176th overall in defensive efficiency (via KenPom). That’s just absurdly bad. And though it can’t all be pinned on Collins, he certainly didn’t do much to fix it.

Thanks to his quick feet and sturdy frame, he’s got the tools to become a passable defender, at the very least. The aspect of the combine that will be important for him is getting new measurements.

As of right now, the last time Collins’ length was recorded (according to DX) was at the 2013 Nike Elite 100 Camp, when he measured in with a T-Rex-like 6-foot-8 wingspan.

If that number is still sub-7-foot today, we can forget about him ever defending at a high level in the NBA. But if that measurement proves to no longer be accurate, he would make a lot of sense for the power-forward-needy Heat at No. 14. After all, he’s one of the best the position has to offer in this draft class.