Big Man, who was once teased as a cyber player, is recognized by coach Popovich
A player who fell to the bottom due to injury succeeded in making a comeback. This is the story of Jack Collins.
San Antonio Spurs manager Greg Popovich mentioned Jack Collins in a pre-game interview with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season held at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on the 9th (hereinafter Korean time).
Collins, who was evaluated as a big man suitable for modern basketball because he knew how to run and had a long shot, was selected by Sacramento with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft and joined Portland through a trade immediately. Since then, from his rookie season, he has performed well on the bench and showed a smooth start to his career. 안전놀이터
But injuries got in his way. He injured his shoulder and ankle consecutively from the 2019-2020 season and managed to digest only 11 games in two seasons from the 2020-2021 season. He was once even nicknamed the ‘Cyber Player’ in disgrace.
Still, Collins did not give up. Ahead of the 2021-2022 season, he was looking for a comeback in San Antonio, where he signed a three-year, $22 million contract. Last season, he also played less than expected, such as playing in 28 games due to injury, but the golden opportunity that came this season properly He survived and succeeded in rebounding.
Collins, who took the starting position after his main center Jacob Puddle moved to Toronto through a trade, showed his best performance since his debut, recording an average of 16.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists and a 39.4% 3-point shooting percentage in 15 games played in the second half.
Coach Popovich praised his performance, saying, “I think Collins will be used as a starter next season as well. I got it on my own.”
In the last game of this season against Dallas on the 10th due to a finger injury, it is likely to end the season as it is, but it must have been a very meaningful season for Collins just to be reborn as a team’s main center.