The Spurs begin a three-game road trip and it will be a homecoming of sorts for Collins.
A chilled-out Collins returns to the Moda Center on Monday, as the Spurs begin a three-game road trip against the Trail Blazers. The 25-year-old comes back a kinder, gentler version of the player Portland fans remember — and playing the best basketball of his career.
Collins came off the bench for a season-best 17 points in Friday’s 131-126 home defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers. That total — one point off his career high — was Collins’ fifth double-digit scoring outing of the new year. It was not a one-off. In the past six games in which he has logged at least 18 minutes, Collins has reached double figures five times. “It is good to have the shots you practice a lot go in,” Collins said. “You put the work in, and you expect to go out and make those shots every night.” For a far-too-long segment of Collins’ still-young career, his best moments have been relegated to the practice court. Collins’ story cannot be told without mention of his medical chart, which reads like an unabridged edition of “War and Peace” but more painful.At the end of that campaign, he limped out of the so-called “bubble” in Orlando, Fla. — where the NBA completed the season after COVID reared its head — on a sore ankle. Later that fall, Collins had the first of what would become three surgeries on a troublesome left ankle in the span of 10 months. He did not play a minute of the 2020-2021 season. Collins was still rehabbing from the last of those knife-cuttings when the Spurs signed him to a three-year, $22-million contract in the summer of 2021. Having made his Spurs debut Feb. 4 of last season, Collins is approaching one year of relatively good health — save for the left fibula fracture that cost him 10 games in November. “He’s feeling more and more like himself after all those injuries that kept him out,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He has had a lot of time off to take care of himself and get his rhythm back. He’s done that pretty damn well, and that’s starting to show.” Heading into Monday’s game, Collins has made 35 appearances, most since his second season in Portland in 2018-19.“It’s been a very long time since I have had a season where I can start the season and finish the season,” Collins said. “It’s great to experience a full year.”Able to stay healthy for longer swaths, Collins is averaging a career-high 9.5 points on a career-best 54.2-percent shooting, while also supplying 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a reserve role. Collins has been a bit foul-prone — averaging a team-high 5.9 per 36 minutes — but otherwise has shown glimpses of the potential that made him the 10th overall pick out of Gonzaga in 2017.Collins’ job could expand after next month’s trade deadline, depending on what happens with Jakob Poeltl, the Spurs’ much-coveted starting center. In the meantime, Collins is playing for his place on next season’s roster. The $7.7-million he has remaining on his Spurs contract is not guaranteed until June 28.Collins is one of the Spurs’ most frequent purveyors of toughness, along with the 19-year-old Sochan. When the dust-up between Sochan and Morris began to boil over Tuesday, other Spurs were not surprised to see Collins insert himself into the fray. “Zach’s always the first guy in there,” guard Josh Richardson said. “We all know that. That’s what Pop loves about him.” If Collins appears a cooled-down model of the Portland version of himself, it might be only in comparison to the volatile Sochan. Two nights after Sochan’s scrape with Brooklyn, the rookie engaged in a brief sparring match with another Morris twin — the Clippers’ Marcus — on Friday.More and more, Spurs fans are beginning to know Collins as well.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Triple take: Clippers 131, Spurs 126Kawhi Leonard heard boos from Spurs fans every time he touched the ball in the early...
Read more »
‘Bachelor’ Zach Shallcross is not done playing the field, says football commentator is his ‘dream job’Bachelor Zach Shallcross has a future gig in mind now that he’s done dating 30 women — football commentator.
Read more »
Zach Bryan to Play Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in JuneCountry superstar is touring behind last year's hit album 'American Heartbreak'
Read more »
Leonard ignores boos to score a season-high 36 against SpursAfter tormenting the Spurs with a highly efficient performance, Kawhi Leonard said he...
Read more »
Family of Huron County mother missing for 5 years demands answersAccording to Sylvia Colon, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Cleveland Missing, Dean’s disappearance is under unusual circumstances.
Read more »
No. 3 Purdue survives scare vs. Maryland thanks to another big effort from Zach EdeyZach Edey finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds as the Boilers survived a last-second Maryland 3-point attempt at buzzer to tie.
Read more »