The Utah Jazz added a high-ceiling, high-floor player in John Collins.
The Utah Jazz may have added the best possible player possible this offseason with the trade for John Collins. Collins, who is coming off of a down season, is someone who can come in and become a double-double player for the squad, but even if he doesn’t improve his 2022-2023 stats, he’s still someone who’s an instant upgrade over Rudy Gay.
He’s really the perfect get because he could easily turn into an All-Star and if he doesn’t, he’s still a great asset. He’s a no-brainer to get if you’re the Jazz, and according to one anonymous Utah Jazz front office member, we’re not the only ones who think so.
Speaking to Keith Smith of Spotrac (they apparently do more than track contracts) one Jazz office member told Smith that the move to get Collins was a “no-brainer”, going further on to say;
"He’s an outstanding talent. We feel like he got lost in the shuffle some in Atalanta. With us, we’re going to make sure he’s regularly involved and has a consistent role."
"Adding John Collins was a no-brainer," an anonymous member of the Jazz told Keith Smith of Spotrac. "He's an outstanding talent. We feel like he got lost in the shuffle some in Atlanta. With us, we're going to make sure he's regularly involved and has a consistent role. We want… pic.twitter.com/oRXZTzaJkh
— Karce (@Karsonnnn) July 26, 2023
And the thing is, Collins will thrive in Utah. Unlike a rookie or a player who never had a steady spot in a rotation who’s getting a new shot on a different team, we’ve seen the floor on Collins. We’ve seen glimpses of the ceiling. He’s going to thrive in this system because we know what he can be. Both good and bad.
Collins will finally have a spot where he can thrive and playing in between Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler will surely give Collins ample room to create in the low-post. Not to mention, Kessler is as good as Clint Capela defensively, so Collins won’t have to worry about being the primary defender down low. That’s Kessler’s job.
If Collins doesn’t have a noticeable and impressive bounce-back season, that would be truly shocking. No one should think First Team All-NBA, but a fringe All-Star-caliber year isn’t out of the question.