He's actually reminding me a lot of Batum so far in Summer League. Pretty bad on offense, but kind of under-the-radar good on defense. But the similarity with Batum doesn't end there. You can see how you could just park Collins in the high post and let him catch/shoot if left wide open, or make the smart or quick pass. As fourth or fifth option in the Noah Vonleh role, even after two summer league games that you can see how Collins could be the better fit on offense. Then you bring in the defensive side, and well..... I remember reading the scouting reports on Lillard after the draft and how he was the best pick-and-roll guard in the draft, and thinking, "Yeah, that could definitely work." Then I remember reading the reports and watching the film about Nurkic. A big guy who thrives in setting mean picks, can roll menacingly to the rim or pop if he wants, or pass if neither works. And I thought, "Yeah, that could definitely work." Could you ask for a better fit next to Dame? Now you have a 7 footer with a thin, power forward-y like frame and quick feet and a defensive focus, who has NBA 3 point range, is a clever passer out of the high post, has spent a season playing with a really big center, and he doesn't seem to see himself as a primary scorer....and once again it just feels like it could work. Batum was never destined for superstardom, but he was definitely destined to fit. I'm starting to feel that way about Collins. I wouldn't be surprised at all if, like Batum, training camp comes and suddenly this guy who didn't do much in summer league is dropped into a starting job. Is it really that outlandish of an idea? Batum started 79 games as a rookie for a 54 win team. Seems like an obvious move now, but back then we'd been fucking around with youngsters Martel Webster and Travis Outlaw at Small Forward. Maybe history repeats itself, only at Power Forward and Vonleh and Butters get pushed aside for a guy with talent who actually fits.
My only concern with starting him is that he's not going to rebound like Vonleh. Vonleh also has better handles and Post game. He can shoot too just needs to gain confidence. I don't see him starting opening night.
Collins has a better post game. Vonleh's post game is awful. We haven't had a chance to see it yet. But, Collins has footwork and moves in the post better than 90% of NBA bigs. At this point Vonleh might be a better man defender. But, Collins is way better of a rim protector. I'd still rather start Vonleh at the beginning of the year and not just throw Collins to the wolves. What we've seen of him in SL is just a small little glimpse. Not many big guys can thrive in the chaos of SL. People shouldn't take much from it. Guard play you can take a little bit away from SL because they dominate the ball and you can see how they can run a team. But the lack of spacing, the hacking, the horrible guard play.....makes it impossible to evaluate bigs in SL. Not sure why this is escaping some people. I was pretty certain that Collins would struggle in these games. I wasn't too surprised when he did, I also wasn't surprised by the reactions of people on this board when they cried into their pillow.
I'm starting to come around on the idea that Collins will play this season. Defense matters. We're not really in a position to sit the ones that play it, even rookies. And it's not like he's some stiff offensively either. He can shoot. He can score in the post. He's shown passing ability. The idea seems to be that only one of Collins and Swanigan will play, but I actually think both could get on the court. It's pretty much four guys for two, possibly three rotation spots; Collins, Swanigan, Vonleh, and Davis.
If you guys are expecting the two rookies to contribute this season, i believe you are setting yourself up for a let down. They won't beat out our vets, not going to happen.
Remember, Terry never plays rookies. Even tho the only rookie he's ever had that deserved and earned playing time was Damian (and he played a lot of minutes).
No one knows if they'll contribute or not except Terry (and even he likely doesn't know). You don't know, he doesn't know, I don't know... I think he's making fun of you for thinking you know, when only the coach could. That's my guess
Yet he's played Vonleh minutes he likely doesn't deserve. Show me one rookie that deserved playing time that didn't get it under Stotts. If Biggie and Z-Co deserve and earn minutes, they'll play.
I had never seen either of these rookies play before we drafted them. But I swear on draft night and the next couple days this place was going bananas over Collins. Was that just the normal hype around a new player? We saw what happened when he went up against real men, not some kid from UofP. Wait til he goes up against solid NBA vets. I've......we've...... seen too many overhyped by fans type of players come thru the league and just disappear. This is a grown mans league and I think some forget. Sure I'd like these guys to be able to contribute, it is just tough for them to do.
His best play was in the final four. Whats with the U of P reference? You're a long time Blazer fan, you should know good players come from small schools. The list goes on and on of Blazer greats who did just that. Look at our backcourt as a perfect example.
Yeah, he was the best defensive player against these "real men", and his offensive wasn't impressive because it translates to the NBA only if he has decent guards. He's not like Swanigan who will go get his own. He's the type of guy who will do well for himself and for the team by playing off of great guards.
