Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey expressed how impressed he was with young center Zach Collins in a press conference Wednesday. Olshey claimed that Collins was far ahead of other big men his age, especially on the defensive end of the floor:
“Zach has proven it, he's emerging as an offensive player, but defensively, he's way ahead of most young players in this league. What he contributes as a defensive presence is a perfect fit. You look at Dame, C.J., Rodney as a lot of firepower on the perimeter, and then you have two elite defenders in Hassan and Zach.”
Collins is only 21, but he has already shown the league that he is a promising up and comer.
In last years playoff run, the Gonzaga product stepped up in Jusuf Nurkic's absences and put up better numbers in almost all categories than he had in the regular season. In 16 playoff games, Collins shot 51 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from range while averaging 6.9 points and 1.4 blocks per game.
Olshey is right that Collins is already a great defender at a young age. Although he is only 21, Collins has played as the defensive anchor of the Blazers second unit. With Nurkic out and Enes Kanter now in Boston, Collins has the chance to prove that he is now capable of playing the same role but in the starting lineup.
The choice will be a tough one for Terry Stotts, who now has Hassan Whiteside on his roster as another well-known shot-blocker.
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