Fans of the LA Clippers surely remember the stretch of games where Tyronn Lue was hesitant to start John Collins. He seemingly did not feel like the veteran forward was ready, despite all of the statistical success he has had in his career. Well, at the All-Star break, Collins is undoubtedly the second-best Clipper on the team, further proving that Lue began the regular season with a massive mistake and a flawed ideology that has aged poorly.
Collins picked up his defense, found a rhythm in his jumpshot, and pieced together the equation for playing winning basketball. How did he do it all of a sudden? It is simple; he just needed reps. It was not going to happen with him producing in the second unit.
Thus, with Collins dominating in a contract year, all signs are clear that he will be around for the future. He is in his prime at 28 years old and fits the youthful era that will inevitably arrive.
The Clippers desperately need John Collins’ excellence now more than ever
At the trade deadline, the LA Clippers’ big man rotation cleared out significantly, and the scoring needs grew in an instant. James Harden and Ivica Zubac are gone, meaning John Collins, who was thriving with both present, will have to perform as a star for the rest of the season.
His contributions will be especially valuable, as Tyronn Lue does not necessarily know what to expect from Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin. Can they co-exist in the same backcourt and feed Kawhi Leonard the ball effectively? The answer is to be determined.
However, what Lue does know, after being shown otherwise, is that Collins is trustworthy. He has been phenomenal after the deadline, helping LA go 3-1, averaging 16.5 points, shooting 60.9% from the floor and 50% from the distance line, and ranking second in rebounding in 32.5 minutes.
The pressure of keeping this up is also not a worry. He has been the exact same since the start of the turnaround, and with more pressure to excel, Clipper Nation is confident he will not fold.
That said, it is shocking that Collins was once a bench piece for the Clippers this season, yet that fault is entirely on Lue. He had his doubts and is certainly glad he listened to the outside noise, as the turnaround may not have happened if the 2017 first-round pick had remained in a position he did not deserve.