Portland Trail Blazers: Zach Collins thinks he is ready to be a starter

At the Portland Trail Blazers’ Media Day, Zach Collins exuded confidence when asked if he felt he was ready to be a starter.

The development of Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins will be a major story of their season this year. When asked at NBA Media Day if he felt he was ready to be a starter at this point in his career, he replied, “Yeah, I do.”

He went on:

"“I think I’m ready for it. I started one game last year, and, you know, it was a blast. I can’t wait to continue to do that in my career. But again, whatever the coach wants me to do, I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to produce.”"

That one game he started came on December 13 against the Miami Heat. Collins played 21.5 minutes and finished the game with nine points, three rebounds, and one block in a Blazers win.

Advanced statistics, however, do not point to Collins being a surefire starter at the outset of this coming year. Last season, the Blazers were a net -0.7 with him on the court in the regular season, and a striking -12.5 in the playoffs.

Of course, Collins will have grown a lot before entering his sophomore season. Not only did Collins grade out as the best defender in Summer League, but he also touched on adding weight this year which will help him when in the low-post and fighting for boards.

His effectiveness will also be determined by which position Head Coach Terry Stotts uses him at.

Since Neil Olshey hinted that Collins would be playing more center this coming year with the departure of Ed Davis, Collins’s role on this team has been much talked about.

When asked if he was a four or five, Collins said this:

"“Whether I’m a four or a five, I don’t think Coach wants to put – you know – a label on it… I don’t want to be just a four or a five all year. I think depending on matchups and different games, depending on who we’re playing, I could be a four one night and a five another night. I think, right now, I’m a four just with guys like Nurk and Meyers probably going to be – you know – majority minutes at the five. So, we’ll see though. I think training camp is going to be a big tell of what my role is going to be as far as a four or a five. So, we’ll see.”"

From this answer, it sounds like the team wants to continue experimenting with Collins to see where he fits best in the team.

If Collins started games, he would do so as a four alongside a healthy Jusuf Nurkic.

My fingers are crossed we see some of a Nurkic/Collins frontcourt this upcoming season. This pairing could push Aminu back into a small forward position and give Evan Turner an opportunity to slide into a more natural facilitator role with the second-unit around their newly acquired shooters.

Collins may best be served as the de facto five in lineups that include him and Meyers Leonard as he could probably provide a bigger nuisance down low for driving guards and offensive big men. He could also provide a Serge Ibaka type look for ultra-shooting lineups as a big that can shot-block and defend at the rim but still hit threes at a reasonable clip.

To show he is able to play big minutes, Collins must showcase his versatility this season at both big man positions.

If he is able to slot in as a four to play with Nurkic, and as a five to stabilize a second-unit defense and provide a high-powered look, Collins will quickly hear his name being called in the opening introductions.