Under the basket shooting
As a rookie, Collins struggled to score from within five feet of the hoop – he made 55.9% of his shots from that close, ahead of five other Blazers players (the team’s three undersized guards, Caleb Swanigan and Georgios Papagiannis).
Until he’s bulked up to the point of other NBA-level centers, Collins will need to get creative with his shots tight around the rim. Flashy poster dunks and bully-ball won’t work for the wiry seven-footer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t operate down low.
From watching his Mar. 3 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Collins showed off one effective shot type for after setting screens. Here’s how the play went:
Collins ran up to screen Paul George, causing Steven Adams to step out onto the perimeter and contain CJ McCollum. He was able to slip into the paint and get a nifty pass from McCollum, but then saw two Thunder defenders collapsing on him from the wings. He let a flick shot go – ironically against Adams who is notorious for this type of shot – and avoided the defense’s pressure for an easy bucket.
Shots like this are high percentage because they don’t allow the defense to contest, plus they prevent Collins from having to use his body to create space in the paint.