The Utah Jazz front office has made it clear that the 2024-25 season is about evaluating and growing young talent. The coaching staff has made development the priority. They’ve said it over and over and I’ve said it over and over — this season is about the young guys.
But quietly, in the background, John Collins has been putting together a really impressive season. Granted, we’re only 10 games into the 82-game long haul, but that doesn’t mean that we should ignore what Collins has been doing.
The eight-year veteran has been averaging a near double-double (17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds) while also having doubled his assist and steal numbers compared to the last few years.
Collins has been bouncing between playing the four and five with the Jazz and has definitely found himself in some different situations this season with how many injuries the Jazz have dealt with and how much that’s changed rotations. Jazz head coach Will Hardy admitted that last season and even in the first couple of games this season, the coaching staff wasn’t helping Collins enough when bouncing between positions.
Sometimes Collins would get a switch that would be advantageous for him, but because his teammates weren’t looking for him on that particular action, he was missed. Sometimes he was caught in bad gaps and in tight spots, forced to get off 3-pointers in a way that was not as fluid, or try to figure out something in a late-clock situation that frankly, Collins is not the best at.
“John has done a really good job of using his physicality and he’s attacked the switch really, really well,” Hardy said. “Our team has made it a point to look for him in those moments when he does seal smaller players. I feel like the 3s that he has shot lately have been a little bit more clean … Early in the year, some of the spots we had him in, he was caught in between … I don’t think we did a good job as a staff of giving him obvious reads in those moments.”
Collins has been incredibly thankful to the Jazz coaching staff and his teammates for trying to make his life a little easier this season, especially considering the other circumstances.
For another player in Collins’ position, it would have been really easy to get frustrated, angry and do more sulking than anything this year. He was traded to a losing team in a rebuild and then, despite his years of service, lost his starting job this season. A coach can try to explain that the reason for all of this is to benefit the younger players and that development has to be the team’s priority, but that probably doesn’t make things sting any less.
But, rather than let frustration or feelings of being slighted take over, Collins decided that it was a chance to make some changes. He started drinking more water, he changed his diet a little bit in an effort to increase nutrition, he is trying to get more sleep and he’s trying his very best to make sure he doesn’t disrespect the game.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been the easiest experience,” Collins said. “The way I’ve tried to do it, and not saying I’ve been perfect in any way, but I’ve given myself the extra opportunities to be great in other areas that don’t necessarily just concern what’s happening on the basketball court. And I feel like that will overflow and sort of give me some more cushion to go out there and do my thing, and as I believe, or as I say playfully, the basketball gods will reward me with blessings as I’ve respected the game.”
Of course the off-court stuff helps his on-court life, but he’s also been working really hard at evolving his off-ball game and trying to make better reads. He knows he’s not an incredible passer, but he feels like he can at least be a good passer and because Hardy likes to have a secondary playmaker that can work at the elbow, Collins has reaped the rewards of his work.
Now, in another losing Jazz season, why does this matter? If John Collins is having a good year, who cares?
Well, everyone should. Let’s say that this exact John Collins is the one that stays with the Jazz for a number of years. If this is the guy that you’re getting and he’s making these kinds of plays regularly and he is willing to do it from the bench, you actually might end up with a depth player that could help the Jazz when they are actually trying to win something.
It’s important to remember that though Collins has been in the league eight years, he’s just 27 years old. He’s only four months older than Lauri Markkanen, so if you’re talking about having players that fit a timeline, that’s kind of perfect.
But, if you are someone that has been hoping the Jazz can make a deal to move Collins, his becoming a playmaking double-double guy off the bench that is also racking up steals this season is a lot more appealing than many would have thought the Jazz would have had. Collins’ game improving and him making strides in any area can only be good for the Jazz, whether they decide to part ways or decide to keep him around for a while longer.