John Collins Shows Out for Jazz in Preseason Bout vs. Trail Blazers

The Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers took part in a scoring barrage on Saturday night, combining for a steep total of 271 points. The evening was highlighted by stellar performances from the likes of F Lauri Markkanen and G Anfernee Simons, both scoring over 25 points and shooting over 75% from the field on the evening, with the Jazz coming out on top, 138-133.

There were many bright spots throughout, but one that should stick out for Jazz fans is the boost in production we saw from F John Collins. After getting off to a slow start in his first two games against the Los Angeles Clippers, there was much more to appreciate in this match.

Collins finished with 15 points, three rebounds, and one assist, shooting 5/7 from the field (1/3 from three). He also finished the game tied with a team-high +/- of +10. Things looked especially nice in the first quarter, where JC found nine of his points on the night, with a lot of his success coming from drawing contact and getting looks close to the basket.

Collin Sexton ⏩ John Collins

...thrown from almost half-court 👀

📺 Portland and Utah are live on the NBA App: https://t.co/WfH3FJ6tZs pic.twitter.com/JXJ3twXo7U
— NBA (@NBA) October 15, 2023

It’s hopefully a sign of things to come with Collins. After the Jazz’s offseason acquisition of the former Hawk, the hope is to see a bit of a bounce-back season from what we saw during his 2022-23 campaign. By Will Hardy placing him in more positions to play to his strengths, it could be exactly what he needs to get his footing back in the league.

It’s still early in the preseason, but this should provide some optimism surrounding the fit of Collins into this new offense. While his spacing and overall consistency remain a question mark, there is still a route for him to be a quality starter with a complimentary scheme surrounding him.

The next match for the Jazz will be against the New Zealand Breakers on Monday, October 16th, at 7 PM MT. With Will Hardy continuing to make tweaks and adjustments to his lineup, it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches his penultimate preseason game before the regular season kicks off.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream.