Portland Trail Blazers: Why does Zach Collins commit so many fouls?

Portland Trail Blazers center Zach Collins has struggled with foul trouble in the NBA. Let’s analyze what needs to improve for Collins to stay on the court.

Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins has one of the brightest futures on the team. At only 21 years old, he has played two impactful NBA seasons, helping the Blazers with his defensive versatility. However, in order to take the next step on the less glamorous end of the court, he needs to work on staying out of foul trouble.

Since his college days, he has had trouble defending well without the referee blowing the whistle. In only 17.3 minutes per game, Collins averaged a whopping 2.7 fouls a contest. While it was a slight concern going into the NBA Draft, many did not think too much of this issue because many young big men have problems with this as well. However, this has trend has continued into his professional career and is starting to be cause for concern.

What is Collins doing wrong?

Per 36 minutes, Collins averages 4.5 fouls per game over his career, which is the 24th highest mark in the entire NBA. That is an extremely high number, and one that signifies that Portland cannot depend on him to play major minutes (even though they want to).

Collins attempts to compensate for this by lowering his arms to take full advantage of his 7-foot-1 wingspan. However, referees at all levels are prone to call fouls when this occurs. Whether Collins actually committed the foul or not is a moot point. The fact that he is a young player with not much stardom to his name while repeatedly bringing his arms down leads to an excess of foul calls at the rim.

Additionally, he often commits frustration fouls on the perimeter after getting beat by his opponent, guard or big. While fans often commend Collins for his constant aggressiveness, dialing it back a little and playing with a more level head could prove wonders for his and the Blazers’ defense. Dane Delgado of NBC Sports Northwest did a great job covering this side of Collins in depth earlier in the season.

What can Collins do to improve?

Over the summer, Collins has the chance to fix these weaknesses. If he can lower his foul rate, he can move from a Serge Ibaka type player to one similar to Myles Turner, a premier defensive center in today’s NBA.

The first and most simple fix is teaching himself to keep his hands straight up. Doing this will take away many of those 50/50 calls that referees seem to knock Collins on.

Secondly, he needs further development on his defensive awareness. While his defensive instincts are really good for a player of his age, there are times where he seems to lose focus. Building up a consistent awareness can take away some instances where he is out of position.

Finally, Collins needs to keep calm throughout possessions. Just like teammate CJ McCollum advised Collins after fouling out against the Bulls, not letting his competitiveness and aggression to get the best of him should limit the fouls called against him.

If Collins learns to become a more diligent and patient defender, he can help both himself and the Blazers become the best versions of themselves.