Jazz F John Collins Talks Finding New Fit Within Will Hardy’s System

With two preseason games now under his belt, Utah Jazz F John Collins has gotten a little time to find some early run with his new squad. However, it has come with a few hurdles in terms of finding immediate production.

In 37 total minutes played, Collins has 8 points scored, shooting a combined 3-8 from the floor with four turnovers. It’s nothing out of the ordinary to see new players take some time to adjust to a new situation, and it is just preseason, but it does inevitably lead to questions surrounding how this fit can see improvement.

Collins spoke on how he has been used on the floor earlier in his playing career, along with some of the changes that come with coming onto Jazz HC Will Hardy’s system, per KSL Sports:

“A lot of it was pick-and-roll, running the floor, really just me going out there and getting my offense in the flow of the game, that’s really how I played my whole life...In Atlanta, I was a little bit more stationary, sit in the corner, or get right into a pick and roll, it was a little bit of a simpler offense... Here, Coach [Hardy] has a lot of cuts, screens, and a lot of just different actions and ways I can either pass, hit, or come off and score which is new for me. So it’s going to take a little bit of adjusting.”

After being traded from the Atlanta Hawks this summer, Collins has been pinned to finding a potential resurgence with a needed change of scenery. That jump might come from discovering a new way to mesh into this Utah offense, but it might take a process to truly find it. However, with things being so early in the preseason, concern for Collins’s long-term stock with Utah should be very minimal.

Collins will have another opportunity to make a statement during the Jazz’s next pre-season game vs. the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, October 14th in the Delta Center.

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