Shrugging off injury, playing expectations – Zach Collins – NBA – Basketball

2017 is known as the year of the draft, but in this year’s season, we can see that many players are fulfilling, even exceeding the original expectations. Zach Collins, who was the 10th overall pick of the year, also got rid of the haze of past injuries and played silently. his expectations

2017 is known as the year of the draft, but in this year’s season, we can see that many players are fulfilling, even exceeding the original expectations. Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell, who have become the league’s top stars, and De’Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Markelle who broke out this year Fultz and Jonathan Isaac were reborn from the ashes and played brilliantly. John Collins, Bam Adebayo and Jarrett Allen became the mainstay of the team. his expectations.

Looking back at the 2017 draft, led by four guards (Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox, Dennis Smith Jr.) and two small forwards (Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson), it is claimed that no matter which player is selected, it will be Being able to become the core of the team to cultivate, the talent exploded to the point that it was a hot topic at the time, and even described this ladder as rookies in the three major draft years of 2003, 1996 and 1984. “The situation seems bleak, but there are still many high-potential rookies worth cultivating. Among them, there are several potential inside players at the end of the lottery, and the Trail Blazers initiated a transaction at that time. Signed to the Kings in exchange for the No. 10 pick, and selected the protagonist of this article—Zach Collins

7-0 in height, 7-1 in wingspan, and 230 pounds in weight. Before the draft, he focused on a variety of offensive skills. As a seven-foot man, his shooting wrist is surprisingly soft. The mid-range jumper following the response can even be extended beyond the three-point line. Although the number of samples in college was not high (less than one shot on average), it had a hit rate as high as 48%, which was the most suitable for the court space at that time. One of the elders; the defensive part relies on his positioning and good ability to touch heights, combined with accurate judgment timing, he can repeatedly send wonderful hot pot in the penalty area. Of course, his relatively thin body makes him poor in confrontation. The lateral movement speed can keep up with the general forward, but it is easy to be passed by the speed of the guard following the defense. On the whole, although he can’t become a player who dominates the penalty area on both ends of the offense and defense, he can definitely become a competent green leaf and assist the starter of the red flower.

In the first year of entering the league, due to the team’s relatively sufficient frontcourt manpower, they did not get a lot of playing time. Starting from the bench, they played an average of 15.8 minutes, contributed 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.5 blocks. Put him on the court with a big man without the perimeter (such as Ed Davis), Collins is responsible for the outside shot on offense, and the other is responsible for the offensive screen and offensive rebound; on defense, Collins’ mobility can be used as a help defense role , another traditional elder is responsible for grabbing the protective rebounds and covering the hot pot.

In the second year, although the same team had plenty of frontcourt personnel and averaged 17.6 minutes from the bench, the playing time did not increase too much, but the overall statistics improved, contributing 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, especially on the defensive end. After Ed Davis left, Collins spent more time as the patron saint of the restricted area, serving as the last line of defense. Although the confrontation was still insufficient, the precise blocking still prevented the attacker from easily ravaging the restricted area.After entering the playoffs, due to the injury of Jusuf Nurkic, Collins’ defensive responsibility became more important. Several key defenses were enough to affect the situation in terms of results. The coaching staff was quite satisfied with the good performance in the playoffs In the 19-20 season, before Nurkic returned from injury, Collins was determined to play as a starter, and became the team’s key training for the future.

Nurkic’s void in the playoffs, guarding the Blazers’ paint (Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

It’s just that when all the prospects are bright, an injury changed his fate.

But in the third game, Collins bruised his left shoulder during the game, resulting in a dislocation of his left shoulder. The doctor estimated that he needed to rest for 3 to 4 months. When the expected return time approached, Collins encountered the infestation of the new coronavirus once more. The large-scale epidemic caused the suspension of the NBA, so Collins had to rest all the way until the NBA rematch. After the rematch, the Blazers worked hard to advance to the playoffs, and Collins, who returned to the team, also started every game. In the end, the Blazers grabbed the ticket to advance to the playoffs at the last minute, but in the playoffs once morest the Grizzlies, Collins started the game less than eight Minutes later, he sprained his left ankle and left the field. The final examination results required surgery, which was tantamount to announcing the end of the season in advance. Moreover, this lying down was one season, which means that he would be reimbursed in advance for the next season, which also cast a shadow on his future. A shade.

An injury that changed his career (Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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