End of Season Grades: Evaluating Jazz F John Collins

We’re a couple of weeks removed from Utah Jazz basketball, and it feels like a good time to go back and grade each Jazzman’s season. While nobody looks at a 51-loss season as some grand success, several players had promising individual campaigns, gave us flashes of a promising future, or some combination of both. The next man up on our list is the seven-year veteran John Collins.

In Collins’ first year with the Jazz and first outside of the Atlanta Hawks organization, there was no doubt an adjustment period for both parties. Trying to learn a new role with new teammates while lacking an established point guard to manufacture touches for him contributed to a bumpier start than most envisioned. Despite this, Collins was one of the year's most consistent and productive Jazz players.

Jazz fans, meet 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⛪️#TakeNote | @jcollins20_ pic.twitter.com/aBYAXjHxjZ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 11, 2023

Collins chipped in 15.1 points & 8.5 rebounds per night. His 53% on-field goals were impressive, but getting his three-point shooting back on track was possibly an even better development for the team. Collins shot 37% from downtown and opened up the Jazz offense for guards to attack. If his efficiency can hold while upping his volume, the Jazz will have another potent inside-outside threat to pair with Lauri Markkanen going forward.

Collins even seemed to get more comfortable as the season went along. Post all-star break, he put up 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, and most importantly, the team was playing better with him out there than during the first half of the season. The dilemma with Collins is that he plays best as a center offensively but lacks the size and rim-protecting instincts to anchor a defense. It is to be determined whether the Jazz want Collins playing center going forward or if they’ll look to add a more complementary piece that takes away some of those defensive responsibilities.

collin + collins = 🪣#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/TGGD969q6V
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 16, 2024

Collins can improve as a defender, and the Jazz need this to improve their league-worst defense. The team's defensive woes are far from just a Collins problem, but his ability to play center defensively is a development worth tracking in future years.

Overall, I thought Collins was criticized by Jazz fans a little too much this year. It comes with the territory when you’re the highest-paid player on a struggling team. I thought Collins’ improvements as the season progressed were encouraging. He’ll now have a full offseason to gel with his teammates and become more comfortable with what Will Hardy asked of him this season. His consistent production & veteran presence were valuable for this young Jazz squad, and I look forward to the 26-year-old continuing to grow as a basketball player.

Grade: B-

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