The LA Clippers acquired John Collins from the Utah Jazz, knowing his veteran status in the NBA. He has eight years of experience, going into his ninth season, which means he has been a part of eight training camps, eight media days, and eight preseason rosters.
Furthermore, Collins has seen a lot of talent on the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz, some of which the world never got a full display of. Others may be recognized by the NBA community, but still on an underwhelming level.
A few of the stars that had to have shocked Collins were Trae Young, Lauri Markkanen, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard. These are the four best players he has ever been teammates with, thus making it a surreal experience to see their work ethics and impact up close.
However, during the Clippers' training camp, Collins spoke about his twin high-flyer in the forward rotation, Derrick Jones Jr., and shared high levels of admiration ahead of their first preseason game of the year, which is next week.
John Collins mentions the game of Derrick Jones Jr. as having caught him by surprise in training camp
Playing against Derrick Jones Jr. is one thing, as the preparation is geared towards anticipating his defense, rim running, and above-average three-point shooting. This is a brief summary of what his scouting report may have looked like last season, with a heavy emphasis on the glass, as Jones Jr. loves to throw down put-back dunks.
On the other hand, it is a different experience to be his teammate. John Collins spoke about how the UNLV product has been an outlier to him in training camp, ultimately implying that what he brings to the table is of extreme value.
John Collins said that Derrick Jones Jr. has been someone who stood out to him early in camp: “Just his activity, his impact, his awareness, his athleticism. It means a lot more playing against him every day, seeing him come to work. … DJ’s been a big surprise for me.” pic.twitter.com/mUUTIT3Lnj
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) October 5, 2025
These words give fans of the LA Clippers and basketball followers worldwide a peek at what Collins gets to see every day from one of the team's underrated guys. Jones Jr. is an outstanding talent and was elite on both sides of the ball last season for the Clippers, posting double-figure averages in points, yet he is under-praised by the NBA community.
In fact, Jones Jr. averaged 10.1 points last season and 3.4 rebounds, shooting 52.6% from the field and 35.6% from a distance.
That said, it is a remarkable thing for Collins to complement Jones Jr., as they will inevitably have excellent chemistry next season, and really underline the work he puts in on a daily basis.