Inside The Jazz

John Collins Makes Eye-Catching Jazz History

The Utah Jazz forward had a historic second year with the team.
Feb 28, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) reacts to a three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) reacts to a three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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The Utah Jazz did have their ups and downs as a unit through the 2024-25 campaign, but it wasn't without a strong showing from a few names around the roster when out on the floor– one of those being John Collins.

While Collins did have a bit of a limited campaign, especially past the All-Star break, the Jazz forward made a major statement when looking at how his stats looked from a historical standpoint.

For the Jazz franchise, Collins is the fifth player ever to log 19+ points per game on 50% shooting from the field across a single season.

In his second year being in Utah, Collins looked much more adjusted and productive during his reps. During 40 games, he put together 19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in what was some of the best results of his career since his 2020 season with the Atlanta Hawks.

Collins even started the year off as a part of the second unit, as second-year Taylor Hendricks was set as the opening day starter in the frontcourt next to Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler before his brutal leg injury took place.

However, not long after losing Hendricks for the season, Collins made sure to take advantage of the opportunity and didn't look back, elevating as one of the best contributors on the Jazz roster throughout this season.

Heading into this summer, Collins will have an interesting decision concerning his player option, which lands at just over $25 million to stick in Utah for one more season. Odds are, the 27-year-old will accept the deal to remain in town, but with an unpredictable Jazz front office, perhaps things could unravel a bit differently once the summer gets into full swing.

In the meantime, Collins has clearly impressed from his initial expectations since coming aboard the team in the 2023 offseason from a trade with the Hawks, all in exchange for a nearly-retired Rudy Gay and a second round pick, and could be on the verge of an even better year three in Utah if all holds to form.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the deputy editor of Utah Jazz On SI. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, contributing to Denver Broncos On SI, Indianapolis Colts On SI, and Sacramento Kings On SI. He has covered multiple NBA and NFL events on site, and his works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, and Yahoo.

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