How does John Collins fit into the rotation with the Utah Jazz?

The Utah Jazz started their offseason with the acquisition of former first-round pick John Collins in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks. With the versatile big man coming to join an already talented frontcourt in Utah, his fit with the Jazz could be interesting.

Nonetheless, with a young mind like Will Hardy leading the team, it’ll be intriguing to see how he uses Collins.

John Collins fit with the Jazz

The Wake Forest product has shown plenty of promise throughout his time in Atlanta. Not only is Collins a high-flying talent, but the 25-year-old has improved his offensive game throughout his time in the league.

In six seasons with the Hawks, the forward averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 55.1% shooting from the floor and 35.6% from three-point range. Collins has plenty of room to improve as a post player, but his ability to cut back doors and expand the floor with his jump shooting could give the Jazz another element to their offense.

With Lauri Markkanen playing plenty of time at the small forward position last season and Walker Kessler manning the paint, Collins could provide another body inside to give Hardy plenty of options on how he may choose to run the offense. Markkanen and Collins ability to interchange positions will allow the Jazz to search for favorable matchups and mismatches depending on the opponent.

While there’s no guarantee that Collins will enter the season as a starter, it’s hard to think that he won’t get the first crack at the starting lineup alongside Markkanen and Kessler. However, talented rookie Taylor Hendricks will likely have the chance to compete for starting minutes if he shows up and dominates in camp. The lottery pick could compete with Collins for a starting spot, but as of now, I’d give Collins the early nod.

Regardless, the potential of Utah’s frontcourt, not only next season but for years to come, will be scary for opposing teams.