Portland Trail Blazers center Zach Collins has recently gained more playing time on the court. How has his development progressed so far this season?
Through the first 24 games of the season, Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Zach Collins played 37 total minutes over eight appearances. Lately, however, Collins has gained substantially more time on the floor. He has played 99 minutes over the last five games. He even started in the team’s Dec. 13 win over the Miami Heat.
Collins was selected 10th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga. The Sacramento Kings technically made the pick. However, Portland and Sacramento had already struck a deal to send Collins to the Blazers for the picks that eventually became Justin Jackson and Harry Giles.
The Blazers’ front office was excited to bring in Zach Collins. General manager Neil Olshey spoke of him in glowing terms during his draft night press conference. Olshey told the media a story about the moment he knew he wanted Collins on the team.
"“[Assistant GM] Bill Branch and I went to the game at the University of Portland. And [Collins] trailed the break, banged down a three, and then caught the ball on the left block, got double-teamed, threw a behind-the-back, no-look pass to [Killian] Tillie. And I said ‘Okay, Billy, we can go home. We’re done. He’s a top 10 pick’. We knew right then”."
However, unlike guys like Jayson Tatum or Donovan Mitchell, Zach Collins doesn’t come to the league as an instant starter. He played a single season of college ball, coming off the bench in all 39 of his appearances.
More from Portland Trail Blazers
- Damian Lillard needs just two words to dismantle a Blazers fan’s hot take
- NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
- The NBA’s strong message to Lillard clears path for a major trade
- NBA Trades: Is this the deal that finally sends Damian Lillard to Miami?
- 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
Collins was a backup to still-Bulldog Johnathan Williams and current Spanish League player Przemek Karnowski. His inability to crack the starting lineup behind those two underscores his need for development time now that he is a professional player.
While it may take time for Zach Collins to become a solid starter-level player, he has exhibited some flashes of NBA-level ability. The Blazers will be rewarded for their investment in the big man if they manage to hone his skills.
First off, Zach Collins has a soft, confident shooting touch. He has the skill-set to knock down mid-range and long range buckets. Unfortunately, he currently shoots 31.1 percent from the field. However, his shots should fall with time and repetition. He’s also a solid screen-setter. This will make him a nightmare in the pick-and-pop game once his shot improves.
Collins’ agility is also a plus. He’s light on his feet, displaying great footwork when he gets the ball in the post. Defensively, his agility allows him to challenge shots at the rim and pester jump shooters on the perimeter. This makes him adept at guarding fellow stretch bigs.
Despite those positives, there is still a ways to go in several other facets. His strength is his biggest issue. According to the team website, he currently weighs in at 230 pounds. Because of this Collins has the tendency to get bodied by rougher opponents. Those opponents have ranged from Dwight Howard to Klay Thompson.
More aggressive scorers also look to drive straight at him because of his relative slightness. Nikola Vucevic and Nicolas Batum both found success doing this in recent games.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Offensively, Collins could use some work in the post. While he has good footwork, he lacks a number of moves in post. He seems to be working on a post hook, but he has gone 1-for-5 when attempting those. Collins also tends to put the ball on the floor when he gets it under the basket. This leads to prime opportunities to have the ball stripped from him.
Defensively, Collins struggles at times with pick-and-roll coverages. He prefers to hang back at the free throw line to prevent the drive. At times, that is the correct move, as he and his teammate simply switch assignments.
However, there have been a number of moments where signals cross. Collins will hang back too far to recover to his man in time. That leads to either open 3s off the pick-and-pop, like with Nick Young and Kelly Olynyk. Other times, it leads to open paths to the basket, such as when Jordan Bell cut to the basket for a dunk. Collins can also get fidgety and jump at shot fakes.
But Collins’ biggest defensive issue is his foul trouble. This problem has carried over from his college career. He averaged 6.2 fouls per 40 minutes in his lone year at Gonzaga. That number has jumped to 7.0 fouls per 40 minutes in his rookie campaign. He’s second only to fellow rookie Caleb Swanigan‘s 7.4 per 40.
Collins has committed at least two fouls in seven of his 13 games. He even fouled out once, doing so in 25 minutes during the Blazers’ Dec. 11 loss to the Golden State Warriors. That is the biggest flaw that needs to be fixed if Collins wants to become a useful player in the NBA.
Over the past five games, Collins is averaging 6.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. That brings his season averages to 2.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. Despite his team-low 3.3 Player Efficiency Rating, Collins has shown some flashes of the apparently transcendent player Neil Olshey sees in him.
But the season is still young, and the development will continue. His height, agility and shooting touch are among the things that justifies the top-10 pick he was. However, he will need to improve his defensive IQ, his post abilities and his tendency to foul in order to reach that full potential.
Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)
If Zach Collins continues to remain confident in himself, takes to the coaching and advice he receives and puts in the work to apply it, he shouldn’t have a problem eventually becoming a key part of the Portland Trail Blazers’ rotation.