James Harden is back on board for another go-around with the LA Clippers. And to help make life as easy for him as possible, the team went out and granted one of his biggest wishes this summer when they acquired John Collins from the Utah Jazz.
It's the kind of move that not only symbolizes LA's appreciation for their hometown guy, but also that serves to legitimately upgrade his performance on the court. Throughout the course of his career, Harden has routinely thrived when playing alongside a big guy that can run the floor, thrive in pick-and-roll and space the floor effectively.
Collins checks all of those boxes. He may not be the traditional rim-protecting big that most contenders covet, but he brings to the table things that the Clippers have sorely lacked recently: vertical spacing and dribbling ability in the frontcourt.
As a pick-and-roll partner, Collins is one of the more explosive finishers at his position, and he's a perfect match for Harden’s pacing and vision. The two-man game with Harden and Collins will give LA a different look than what they have leaned on in recent years.
John Collins is a major upgrade for the Clippers
In fact, the Clippers have quietly built one of the more versatile frontcourts in the Western Conference. Brook Lopez brings shooting and positional defense, while Collins adds the lob threat and transition hustle that allows this group to shift gears depending on the opponent. This versatility will be excellent for mister uno.
The beauty of this move is that it was made proactively. Harden did not have to campaign publicly or create any drama to get his request fulfilled. The front office knew what needed to be done and went out and knocked it out.
There is still plenty of uncertainty in the Western Conference pecking order, but the Clippers are betting on experience, and a fully healthy summer for Kawhi Leonard should only help stabilize the rest of the roster. In that context, giving Harden the ideal frontcourt partner was totally necessary if LA is going to try to get one more deep postseason run out of this current core.
If Collins meshes well and gives the Clippers what they expect, this move could end up being one of the most important transactions of the entire summer. By midway through next season, it's probably going to be obvious just how different the Clippers look with Collins operating on the interior.