It's surely going to take several real NBA games for him to get used to the speed of the game and power of the players on the floor with him. I don't think Summer League performance means much, though it would be nice to see him dominate. The real hope is that he can give us 18 minutes/game of solid bench play.
It's way too soon to tell. In his first year, Kevin Garnett averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds. Joe Smith averaged 15 and 8.7 as a rookie that same year.
Man, you need to pay more attention to defense. If defense was more quantifiable and noticeable than offense, you would think Zach's played amazing and John has looked less that good.
Yep, John Collins has looked good on offense. No surprise there. He put up 22/10 yesterday, but the guy he was guarding went for 23/10. For a team that needs defense, that's a little too J.J. Hickson for me. BNM
I wanted someone who could play much better than Collins has against a bunch of guys who will be bagging groceries this season. We jumped up 5 spots and traded one of our picks because we thought he was something special, but so far he has looked overmatched by non-NBA players. That said, I have not given up on Collins at all. I still have high hopes for him and think he can be a very effective NBA player. I love his attitude and I know he's going to work his butt off and get better.
The question with any draft pick is: Are you picking him based on his ceiling or his floor? With guys like John Collins (or Swanigan), you know they're going to have a higher floor because they've already demonstrated the ability to be effective scorers/rebounders at the college level, and already have NBA bodies or athleticism. With a guy like Zach, you're projecting out based on his height, length, instincts, and toughness (things that can't really be taught) that when the skillset/physicality catches up with those other attributes, you'll have a better, more complete/effective player overall. So of course you're not going to see better play from him immediately, because he's got a lower floor than John does. But he wasn't picked for immediate impact; he was picked for his projected ceiling, so there's no way to know if we picked "the wrong Collins" until he's had a couple years to reach it.
There's no question that Zach Collins is going to become a good/very good basketball player. Instincts!! He has them. Toughness. He has it. John Collins was my first choice at #15, but I was also hopeful of a trade for someone exactly with this guys name!! Bump this again in 3 years and let's compare.
Seriously, you just wanted someone who can play well in Summer League three weeks after being drafted? He's been here for 3 freaking weeks, well good that you have not 'yet given up on him'. It's WAY too early to have any sort of meaningful opinion about him. It's going to stay that way for a good while, too.
SMH, when will people understand that summer league has so little meaning. If you look at most rosters there are no more than 4 guys who will be on NBA rosters on opening night. Maybe another 3-4 will be in G-League and the rest will be overseas or not playing at all. Some players are just great rat ball players who prosper in pick up game environments. Other players including all star level players suck in pickup games but excell in a structured system. Pat C for example looks way better during the regular season when the team is functioning as a unit.
Since forever, if any poster does anything but heap praise on any Gonzaga player your hackles go up. This thread isn't trolling, we're on a Trailblazer message board & we're just talking Trailblazer hoops. btw, as you might recall I grew up a Wake Forest fan (where John Collins starred). Despite that, I supported the Zack Collins pick as I continue to value length and defense from the Bigs. I could turn out to be wrong though, it happens, & John Collins brings a lot. STOMP
