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Zach Collins’ injury marks dark times for the Trail Blazers

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 6: Zach Collins #33, and Pau Gasol #16 of the Portland Trail Blazers look over plays during the team's annual "Fan Fest" on October 6, 2019 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 6: Zach Collins #33, and Pau Gasol #16 of the Portland Trail Blazers look over plays during the team's annual "Fan Fest" on October 6, 2019 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Zach Collins has opted to undergo surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, leaving the Portland Trail Blazers in a tough position moving forward.

Well, this is the position we all feared we might be in after Zach Collins left a late October contest against the Dallas Mavericks clutching his shoulder in pain. Even so, I doubt many expected the situation to be so perilous so early on for this new-look Portland Trail Blazers roster.

Losing Collins for a few weeks was going to be just another obstacle the Blazers had to cross before making another splash in this year’s playoffs. At least, that was the plan. Now, it looks like Rip City will have to suffer without yet another fan favorite big man for much longer.

The Portland Trail Blazers released a full update on Collins’ recovery process via social media.

Collins was off to a strong start to his 2019-20 campaign, and was considered by many to be a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award. In his first three games, Collins averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while knocking down 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts.

He was showing signs of becoming the coveted type of player in the modern NBA that can defend the rim as well as launch the ball from deep. Next to Hassan Whiteside, the pair were intended to form a formidable duo in the frontcourt.

Now, we’re looking at the reality of Collins being off the court until early March at the very earliest. While he should be back in time for the playoffs, he will still have to shake the rust off while playing alongside Jusuf Nurkic for the first time in over a year. All of these moving parts and lack of stability in the frontcourt may come back to haunt Portland later.

This injury likely puts a lot of pressure on the front office to make a transaction that addresses the hole left in Collins’ wake. With an open roster spot and a few valuable trade chips in the form of expiring contracts, there are multiple avenues the Trail Blazers may explore to reinforce their rotation.

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In a year where Collins was intended to answer many of the questions surrounding this Portland Trail Blazers team, he has instead left much more speculation and controversy in his wake. Here’s to a healthy (and hopefully speedy) recovery; get well soon Zach!