2. Zach Collins
Collins didn’t start a single game in college, but that didn’t stop the Portland Trail Blazers from trading up to get him at No. 10 overall in 2017, passing on players like Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, and OG Anunoby to make this happen. Collins has spent more time in street clothes than his Blazers uniform lately.
Collins has played in just 11 games in the last two years, and he has averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while converting on just 44% of his shot attempts in those games. Safe to say, it’s easy to see why Portland doesn’t want him back.
Can Zach Collins stay healthy with the Nets?
When healthy, Collins has shown flashes of the super-mobile big man with the potential to be above average on both sides of the floor that many thought he would be out of Gonzaga. Collins would be a risky addition considering his health, but the Nets could discard him if he doesn’t pan out.
If he does, however, the Nets will have a new backup center that could continue to improve under the tutelage of Steve Nash. He won’t have the crushing expectations that his selection spot placed on him in Portland, meaning that he can be free to just play his game in a rigidly defined role that a structured Brooklyn environment could provide for him.