Portland Trail Blazers: Four worst things from this season

4. The Zach Collins injury.

Zach Collins was about to come into his own this season. Portland moved Meyers Leonard, a solid stretch four/five to get a true center in Whiteside. This opened up more minutes for Collins who was put in as a starter from game one of the season.

He played well, shooting the ball at 42.9 percent from deep on 2.3 shot attempts over the three games that he played. Three games is a small sample size but it gave us a glimpse into the future for the franchise.

Collins is 6’11” and can shoot the ball that well from distance. This was going to give Lillard and McCollum good driving lanes as the floor was going to be spaced well. One of the opposition big defenders is going to be drawn out of the paint as you have to respect the Collins 3-ball.

Unfortunately, Collins’s shoulder was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was ruled out for a short while. This short while has extended to 61 games and counting. Collins being sidelined extended the career of Carmelo Anthony who was signed as his replacement.

This injury has cost Collins most of the season, a season of development on a playoff-caliber team. Hopefully, there is a March return for Collins and he can help the Trail Blazers make a solid push for the postseason.