Like Klay Thompson, Zach Collins has seen his career plagued by injuries since 2019. He started with a shoulder problem in 2019/20, then had three operations in ten months for his left ankle!
Result: since the end of October 2019, the interior has only played eight matches and its last appearance on an NBA floor dates back to August 13, 2020, in the “bubble”, under the colors of Portland.
It should be specified because since last summer, he signed in San Antonio, with a partially guaranteed contract, but we are still waiting for his first dribbles in Texas. This should come in the next few days as Zach Collins has been sent to the G-League to complete his physical preparation.
“He has been away for a long time, a very, very long time”, says Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Express News. “He needs to find his rhythm, to feel good and confident with his body. “
A career to finally take off
The Spurs coach, on the other hand, did not give any precise date of return for the former Blazers.
“It was a very long road for him, a hell of a road”, comments Doug McDermott “We saw him work hard physically on a daily basis. And finally seeing him, at least in the G-League, come back and play a little again, that can only make us very happy, his teammates. It will bring us hardness and protect the circle. “
Zach Collins, who is only 24 years old, especially needs to chain the matches and, more generally, to take off a career marred by injuries since he has played only 154 matches since his arrival in the league in 2017. At the time, he was drafted in 10th position ahead of a number of players who have proven themselves in recent years: Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, John Collins, Jarrett Allen or Kyle Kuzma…
“He appreciated the difficulty on a daily basis”, explains Lonnie Walker IV to talk about the long rehabilitation of his teammate, who never complains. “After everything that’s happened, he’s a very optimistic guy. He’s a positive person. I played with him a bit in training and his ability to spread the game, to shoot from mid-range or 3-pts, will help us. “
