The second season of John Collins’ NBA career was delayed at the outset, with the talented big man missing extended time as a result of an ankle issue. Collins has returned for 10 games of productive action, though, and his play is turning heads around the league.
Mike Schmitz and Kevin Pelton of ESPN recently compiled a top-10 list of “the 2017 draft picks with the most potential going forward” and Collins was prominently involved. Pelton is a bit higher on Collins’ upside, ranking him at No. 6 overall in the class, and he noted that Collins is “ahead of the centers who don’t crack my top 10 because of his versatility to defend power forwards and potentially stretch the floor as a 3-point shooter.